New Zealand Higher Education Updates

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New Zealand is all captivating landscapes, willowing mountains and more. If your dream is studying in the country, after watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy on loop, read on.

A joint call for research proposals for Indian and New Zealand academics has been made by the Education New Zealand (ENZ) and University Grants Commission (UGC) to encourage education ties between India and New Zealand.

Education Newzealand (ENZ) is a government agency that promotes education in New Zealand. ENZ is working on a joint research grant for the first time. Both India and Newzeland come for an agreement to commit NZ$500,000 (over Rs 25 Crore) each under the India New Zealand Education Council (INZEC) framework.

This was announced on the occasion of Waitangi Day, New Zealand’s national day that was celebrated recently, seeks to increase research collaboration across a range of areas including sustainability and environment, health, community development and innovation, agriculture and food security, to name a few.

Applications are open to academic staff employed in a recognized center of academic research in Newzeland or tertiary education institute. It is also applicable to research students and to all public education institutions in India which are eligible to be funded by UGC. The highest funding available for each funding body from each project is the equivalent of NZ$50,000. This will cover maximum expenses for accommodation, travel, equipment (up to a maximum of NZ$2000), and project-related consumables (up to a maximum of 15% of the total project budget).

Application deadline is 5pm, March 28, 2014. Mail the attachment copy to ugcic2@gmail.com india@enz.govt.nz. The project will commence on or before June 1, 2014 and the duration of the project is maximum one and half year.

 “The call for proposals was announced by both our Prime Ministers in 2011 and it is a part of the activity we undertake in India through the INZEC initiative, Ziena Jalil, regional director of ENZ quoted.

All New Zealand universities feature in the top 500 globally. Also the nation is highly regarded internationally in areas such as tourism, food processing, and agriculture etc.”

New Zealand is emerging as a much sought-after higher education destination in the world and India is the second largest contributor of international students to New Zealand (after China) with more than 11,000 students. Indian nationals seeking student visas to study in New Zealand increased by more than 10% last year, and more than doubled in the month of December 2013. All these are making India one of the fastest growing student markets for New Zealand. Also it is not so expensive, with the cost of living for students around NZ$15,000 a year.

New Zealand’s acting high commissioner to India, Michael Appleton says, “Education is an exciting and growing component of our mutual relationship, with the increasing number of Indian students in New Zealand since 2007. The growth is 200% from the past six years. This is a welcoming change and I’m delighted. This new initiative will help Kiwi and Indian researchers working side-by-side and contributing their knowledge in both countries.”

New Zealand has moved one step further and made changes to its work and visa policies to encourage more Indian students. Nathanael Mackay, area manager, Immigration New Zealand told that now International students are permitted to increase their work hours. All tertiary level international students enrolled in a course with at least one academic year will be allowed to work up to 20 hours per week during each semester break/vacation.”