The New Zealand government is set to hold a nine-day education roadshow in the Philippines to encourage Filipinos to pursue higher education in the country.
Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) and 10 New Zealand education providers will partner with local agents to showcase their education offering to Filipino high school and undergraduate students from May 30 to June 7.
“A big focus for our New Zealand government is we want to diversify the international student cohort,” ENZ Regional Director for Asia Ben Burrowes said in a media roundtable in Makati City on Tuesday.
“We obviously want to expose our young Kiwi students to different cultures, different religions — students who just bring completely different perspectives to their own. Hence, we are encouraging certainly more students from here in the Philippines.”
The roadshow has sent missions to the Philippines since 2023 and so far secured more than 500 in student leads.
This year, the ENZ said it targets to attract more Filipinos and showcase what New Zealand universities can offer, including post-study opportunities for eligible international students.
The ENZ touted that most courses and programs in New Zealand universities are developed by employers, effectively providing students in-demand skills needed in their chosen industries and jobs.
“Vocational and applied learning options in New Zealand often include internships, work placements and industry projects, to give students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in the workplace. We look forward to showcasing New Zealand’s vocational and applied study options to Filipino students and parents,” Burrowes said.
The New Zealand roadshow will include three student fairs in Manila on May 31, Bacolod on June 3, and Cebu on June 7.
The ENZ will also hold two school counsellors’ workshops and two education agent seminars in Manila and Cebu, respectively.
The student fairs and school counsellors’ workshops will offer prospective Filipino students the opportunity to gather information about life and study in New Zealand.
Scholarship increase
In the same roundtable, New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Catherine McIntosh announced the increase in government scholarship allotment for Filipinos.
She said the government-funded Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships will start accepting 44 qualified students in 2026, up from the previous 16 slots allocated for the Philippines in 2024.
“It really is a significant increase in support of our foreign policy objectives in the region, but also the comprehensive partnership, which has been agreed to bilaterally between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and New Zealand Prime Christopher Luxon,” she said.
The Manaaki scholarships open application for nationals from the Asia Pacific often around the first quarter of the year.
The total Filipino student enrollments to New Zealand schools peaked in 2019 with 2,439.
Last year, the ENZ said about 1,983 flew to New Zealand to study, most of whom took courses in business and management, human welfare studies and services, nursing, information system and computer science, and agriculture. (PNA)
