Scholarships have been awarded to 160 top students from around the country to study at Asian institutions next year under the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia programme.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says the scholarships see Kiwi students studying in some of New Zealand’s key markets such as China, Japan, Vietnam and India, with others flying the flag in smaller countries like Myanmar and Brunei.

"It is great to see more and more young Kiwis taking the opportunity to familiarise themselves with these important Asian countries as part of their studies," Mr Joyce says.

“New Zealand’s future prosperity is closely linked to our key trading partners in Asia and these scholarship will see our young people building all important people-to-people connections as they study and travel in the region. The experience they have now will establish enduring relationships and networks, and help set them up to be key contributors to New Zealand's economic future.”

This round of awards sees groups of students from Wintec, Unitec and Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design heading off to study in Asia. Students from the University of Waikato Faculty of Law will go to Shanghai International Studies University to study law in China and another group from the university will study with a new Indonesian partner Universitas Airlangga. Eight Unitec students will attend the Service Robot Knowledge Transfer Programme in Brunei and Japan.

Funding of $9 million over five years was provided in Budget 2013 for the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia as part of the Government’s Internationally Focused Growth Package.

"We need more and more young people to take up the opportunity to study offshore as part of their degree,” Mr Joyce says. “These scholarships are an important investment in New Zealand's future as an internationally-linked country in the Asia Pacific."

Applications are now open for the next round of scholarships and close on 30 March 2015. The scholarships are managed by Education New Zealand, the lead agency for the promotion of international education.

For more information, including a full list of recipients, go to: www.enz.govt.nz/how-we-work/scholarships/pmsa