Pacific Health Scholarships guidelines

Applications for the 2025 Pacific Health Scholarships are now open.  

All of the following circumstances need to apply to you in order to be eligible: 

• Be of Pacific Islands descent 
• Be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident at the time of the application 
• be enrolled in a health or disability-related course/qualification 
• be enrolled at an approved NZQA accredited tertiary provider in New Zealand 
• provide evidence (passport, birth certificate, reference letter) of Pacific descent from any of the following islands: Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Fiji, Rotuma, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Palau, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Wallis and Futuna, Hawaii, French Polynesia, Rapanui (Easter Island). 

If any of the following circumstances apply to you then you are not eligible:  

• students who qualify for the fees free scheme for the 2025 academic year 
• students (excluding medical or dental student) who have been or will be awarded any other scholarship (or scholarships) totalling $2,500 or more for the 2025 academic year contributing towards course fees 
• a medical or dental student studying a Bachelor of Dental Surgery or a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery who has been or will be awarded any other scholarship (or scholarships) totalling $5,000 or more for 2025 academic year contributing towards course fees
• sixth year medical students because they receive a sixth-year Medical Trainee Intern Grant 
• PhD students because the frontline workforce takes priority.

The Scholarships will consist of: 

• up to $10,000 for medical and dentistry students (Bachelor of Dental Surgery or a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery)
• up to $5,000 for nursing, midwifery, allied health and all remaining eligible qualifications.
  
  

Important: 

Tuition fees will be paid directly to your tertiary provider, once you have been approved in a health or disability-related course and Health New Zealand receives confirmation of tuition fees from the tertiary provider. 

The Scholarships are a contribution toward tuition fees only. Accommodation costs, course related costs and study leave are not covered by the Scholarships. 

To ensure timely payment of tuition fees, please provide current contact information for your tertiary provider scholarship liaison and Finance department. 

All applications must be submitted using the online application form via the applications portal

You will receive an email acknowledging your application once it has been submitted. 

Once the application period closes, an Assessment Panel will review all submitted applications. Please allow 3-4 weeks after the closing date for the applications to be processed and reviewed. 

Once the Assessment Panel has finalised its decisions, all applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application via email. 

Tertiary providers will then be notified of successful recipients and Health New Zealand and the tertiary provider will coordinate the scholarships payments, with assistance from the recipient if necessary. 

Please ensure you provide a current email address when applying.

Use the online form via the online portal

Your application will save automatically in the background.

If you want to complete your application over multiple sessions, you can log back into the portal and continue at any point.

We also advise that you make a copy of your answers and save them in a Microsoft document. 

Attach an official transcript for tertiary study. 

Ensure your application is complete with all necessary attachments included. 

Late applications will be considered at the discretion of the Assessment Panel.

Apply now

Successful applicants will be expected to: 

• advise Health NZ if they become unable or unwilling to complete the Approved Course for 2025
• notify Health NZ prior to making any changes to the Approved Course for 2025, including undertaking any papers that do not contribute towards the approved qualification, or substituting alternative papers for papers included in the Approved Course 
• advise Health NZ of all other sources of funding received (with the exception of Studylink assistance) 
• maintain or achieve a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5 or higher (equivalent to an average B grade or higher) across papers completed in 2025 (or maintain a ‘pass’ mark if completing medical studies) 
• provide Health NZ with a report on grades for semester 1 and 2. 

Fast track applications are successful recipients who have received a Health NZ scholarship in the most recent scholarship round. To apply as a Fast Track student: 

• reapply online before the closing date 
• maintains a GPA of five (B average) and provides Te Whatu Ora with their results. 

If you are having trouble with your application or have any other queries, please contact the Pacific Health Scholarships team at pacificscholarships@tewhatuora.govt.nz