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. 

From 2008, the Māori Medium and Secondary scholarships will be 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 the new scholarships will receive course fees, an annual allowance and be bonded to teach.

Please note that Secondary Subject Trainee Allowances (SSTA) will no longer exist from 2008 and will be replaced by Teacher Recruitment Scholarships.  English and biology will no longer be target subjects.  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 low to middle income applicants and stream two for those people wishing to study either a Māori-focused or Pasifika-focused early childhood teaching qualification.  The 2008 ECE scholarship application form is now available and can be downloaded below.

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 2008 scholarships include a new ‘career changer’ category.  The 2008 application form is now available and can be downloaded below.

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 (added for the first time), mathematics, physics, and Māori language*. The new ‘career changer’ scholarship is available for Māori language applicants. From 2008 English and biology will no longer be target subjects.  The application form is now available and can be downloaded below.

*  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 a new category, 'career changer'. The application form is now available and can be downloaded below.

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 2007 criteria. For further details on these scholarships, view the application form below.

Secondary Subject Trainee Allowances (SSTA)

From 2008, the TeachNZ Secondary Subject Trainee Allowances will be replaced by TeachNZ Teacher Recruitment Scholarships for graduates. English and biology will no longer be target subjects. Existing SSTA recipients will continue to receive their second and/or third payments.

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, will also be 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