Under the Dream NEW programme, eight scholarships are available for European students to attend a semester abroad at a New Zealand university. One scholarship is on offer for each of New Zealand’s eight universities and is valued up to NZ$12,500.

“Raising the profile of New Zealand as a study destination in the highly-competitive world of international education is an ongoing focus for New Zealand’s international education sector,” said John Goulter, general manager stakeholders, communications & intelligence at ENZ

“The Dream NEW scholarships have been established as a way of getting New Zealand on the radar of the huge number of students in Europe who are scanning the options for offshore study.”

“The scholarships are a way of getting New Zealand on the radar of the huge number of students in Europe who are scanning the options for offshore study”

Chris Whelan, executive director of Universities New Zealand, told The PIE News that as well as being a great opportunity for international students to experience New Zealand, scholarship programmes such as Dream NEW provide an excellent opportunity to deepen the international understanding of domestic students.

“New Zealand students also benefit as they have the opportunity to mix and mingle with people from different backgrounds. This helps develop their cultural capability, which is an essential skill in today’s global marketplace,” said Whelan.

The Dream NEW scholarships come in the wake of ENZ’s successful ongoing partnership with Go Overseas to provide a study abroad scholarship programme to US students.

Goulter said “while there is no direct link between the Dream NEW and Go Overseas scholarships, the success of the latter is very encouraging” and both are part of “the goal of raising awareness of New Zealand’s high quality education offerings.”

April year-to-date visa figures saw a 7% surge in first-time student visa holders from Europe, one of only three regions that saw growth.