TeachNZ Teacher Recruitment Scholarships

TeachNZ Teacher Recruitment Scholarships are targeted at areas of priority for teacher supply, in order to meet increasing demand for teachers in some areas over the next ten years. These areas are early childhood and Māori Medium teachers, secondary teachers of specific subjects, and teachers in rural areas.  It is important to note that these scholarships are available only for New Zealand citizens and permanent residents. 

The Māori Medium and Secondary scholarships are allocated across three categories:

• school leavers/undergraduates
• graduates
• career changers. 

Numbers are capped and will be awarded in order of completed applications, where eligibility criteria have been met.  Every full-time student teacher who receives one of these scholarships will receive course fees, an annual allowance providing criteria are met, and be bonded to teach.

Please note that Secondary Subject Trainee Allowances (SSTA) were replaced from 2008 by Teacher Recruitment Scholarships. Existing SSTA recipients will continue to receive their second and/or third payments.

Teacher Recruitment Scholarships (Early Childhood) 
TeachNZ Early Childhood Education scholarships aim to attract more people into early childhood teaching. There are two streams: stream one for those applicants who are eligible for a Community Services Card, and stream two for those people wishing to study either a Māori-focused or Pasifika-focused early childhood teaching qualification. 

Teacher Recruitment Scholarships (Māori Medium)
Teacher Recruitment Scholarships (Māori Medium) aim to increase the supply of teachers in both total immersion and bilingual settings in primary schools. They are available to people of any ethnicity who are proficient speakers of te reo Māori. The scholarships for the career changers are closed. School leaver and undergraduate are open until 1 February 2009. 

Teacher Recruitment Scholarships (Secondary Subjects)
Teacher Recruitment Scholarships (secondary) aim to encourage more people into studying to become a secondary teacher in these subjects/areas of highest need: chemistry, home economics, mathematics, physics, and Māori language*. The ‘career changer’ scholarship is available for Māori language applicants.

*  Subjects are reviewed periodically.

Teacher Recruitment Scholarships (Technology)
The purpose of Teacher Recruitment Scholarships (Technology) is to increase the number of technology teachers in secondary schools. These scholarships are available for school leavers, graduates and 'career changer'.

Teacher Recruitment Scholarships (Rural)
These scholarships aim to encourage people from rural areas into teaching in primary or secondary rural schools. The criteria remain the same as the 2008 criteria. For further details on these scholarships, view the application form below. Scholarships for teacher education study in 2009 are now closed.

Student Loan support for qualified secondary and Māori Medium teachers

Loan Support Scheme
Secondary teachers of maths, technology, te reo Māori and physics now receive a taxable payment of $2,500 in each of their second, third and fourth years of teaching as an incentive to remain in teaching.

From 2005, Māori Medium teachers - who teach in a total immersion setting: kura kaupapa Māori; wharekura; or total immersion classes in a mainstream school - are eligible to receive a taxable payment of $2,500 in each of their second, third and fourth years of teaching.

Teachers in hard-to-staff schools who teach all the current target subjects - biology, chemistry, English, maths, physics, technology and te reo Māori at the secondary level, are also eligible to apply.

Having a student loan will not be a condition of payment but where a teacher has a student loan, the payment will be used to reduce the teacher’s student loan.

Recipients of the Secondary Subject Trainee Allowances are still eligible for this scheme, as are some Secondary Subject Scholarship recipients.

If you would like more information on scholarships, you can contact TeachNZ by:
• email at TeachNZ.admin@minedu.govt.nz or
• phone 0800 832 246 to request an information pack or
• phone TeachNZ scholarship administration on 0800 165 225