Manaaki New Zealand English Language Training for Officials Scholarships (NZELTO)

Benefits & funding

• The scholarship covers the course. The Africa stream’s FAQ itemises economy-class return travel to New Zealand, visa fees, a living allowance, accommodation and medical insurance.
• Asia stream: 13 weeks of full-time study in Wellington, preceded by pre-departure meetings at home and followed by a work-based project after returning.
• Africa stream: 10 weeks in Wellington, including guest speakers, workshops, visits to New Zealand ministries and a field trip.
• Teaching is by the English Language Institute at Victoria University of Wellington, which has delivered the programme for more than 30 years and counts over 2,000 alumni from Asia alone.
• Wellington Uni-Professional helps successful candidates with the visa application and university enrolment.
• The programme does not publish the cash value of the living allowance.

Eligibility

• Open to serving government officials who are citizens of an eligible country.
• Asia stream countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam. The current Intake 66 page names five of these and does not list Mongolia, so Mongolian officials should confirm with the New Zealand Embassy.
• Africa stream countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Republic of the Congo, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Togo and Tunisia. The Africa FAQ refers to 22 countries against the 27 named on the programme page, so the list is worth checking locally.
• Aged 25 to 45.
• Asia stream: a technical or policy role in a government ministry or a state-owned enterprise, with work connected to the intake theme. Eligible ministries include trade and international relations, foreign affairs finance, economy or trade divisions, treasury and finance, and tourism.
• Africa stream: a junior to mid-level Foreign Ministry post, at First, Second or Third Secretary level or equivalent, in which English is used for dialogue and international forums.
• English at roughly IELTS 4.5 to 5.5 or equivalent, and English already used at work. Shortlisted candidates sit an online assessment.
• Employer endorsement, signed and stamped, plus release from work for the length of the course.
• Africa stream: at least two years of residence in the country of citizenship, with an exception for diplomatic postings, and applicants must not be citizens or permanent residents of a developed country. The Asia stream publishes no residence rule, so the structured residency field is left empty rather than gating both streams.
• Applicants currently serving in the military are not eligible.
• Asia stream: applicants who have completed tertiary-level study in an English-speaking country are not eligible.
• A passport valid for at least three months beyond the end of the programme.

Application process

1. 1
   Check with your ministry whether your country’s round is running. New Zealand Embassies and High Commissions ask government sectors in each eligible country for nominations, and there is no public open call.
2. 2
   Complete the programme application form inside the published window, answering every question and attaching the required documents.
3. 3
   Obtain an employer endorsement, signed and stamped, together with confirmation that you will be released from work for the course.
4. 4
   Asia applicants attach a screenshot of a Duolingo English practice test result with the application.
5. 5
   Wait for notification of whether you have passed the first round.
6. 6
   Sit the online English test administered by Victoria University of Wellington.
7. 7
   Receive the outcome letter: accepted, waitlisted or declined.
8. 8
   Accepted candidates sign a statutory declaration and apply for the New Zealand visa with Wellington Uni-Professional’s help, a study visa for the Asia stream and a visitor visa for the Africa stream, then enrol at the university online.
9. 9
   Attend the in-country pre-departure briefing, complete the recommended health checks, and travel to Wellington a few days before the course begins.

Program timeline

1. Asia Intake 66 applications open.

   3 August 2026

2. 10 September to 20 November 2026

   Africa Intake 17 course in Wellington; its application round closed on 6 March 2026.

3. Asia Intake 66 applications close.

   11 September 2026

4. online English testing for Asia Intake 66.

   19 October to 6 November 2026

5. provisional offer letters for Asia Intake 66.

   Week of 7 December 2026

6. pre-departure meetings in country for Asia Intake 66.

   January to March 2027

7. Asia Intake 66 course in Wellington.

   31 March to 26 June 2027

8. work-based projects after participants return home.

   July to August 2027