The clock is ticking on the first round of applications for the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry scholarships, with the first round set close early next week.
There are nine MPI-funded bursaries on offer for students who begin study in the 2023 academic year and enrol in forestry-related courses.
The qualifying courses are Bachelor of Forestry Science at University of Canterbury; Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) with a major in forest engineering; and Diploma in Forest Management at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.
Up to three scholarships will be awarded for each course, and preference will be given to those who identify as female or are of Māori descent; however, the engineering course is open to all applicants who are open entering from their first year of studies.
Successful applicants will receive $8000 a year for four years of their degree to help with tuition fees and living costs, or $7000 each year for the two-year diploma.
Successful applicants will also participate in a 10-week paid internship each summer with Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service or an appropriate forestry sector employer, and have the support of the scholarship coordinator and a buddy throughout the course.
The sponsorship programme, which launched in 2018, hopes to encourage more Kiwis to study forestry-related courses, to help New Zealand reach its climate change goals, enhance and protect the country’s biodiversity, create a sustainable environment for the future, and help create new industries and technologies within the bioeconomy.
Applications close on August 15 for the degree scholarships and December 16 for the diploma scholarship. Visit the MPI website for more information on how to apply.
