Book travel
While you’re studying, some of your travel between your home country and New Zealand will be funded by your scholarship.
Your Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship covers a number of different types of travel for you during your scholarship. Your entitlements may depend on a number of factors, so check in with your International Student Officer (ISO) if you are unclear after consulting your Policy Handbook.
Types of travel:
- initial travel to New Zealand
- travel while studying—reunion travel, personal travel, compassionate travel, travel for study or conferences, home-located research
- final travel.
How to book travel
To book travel, you need to:
- consult your Policy Handbook about your eligibility
- talk to your ISO to request your travel
- complete the travel booking form
- email the form directly to VUW CTM
- get approval from your ISO.
General guidelines for travel
Follow these general guidelines when booking travel:
- MFAT will fund standard economy class seating on the most economical and direct route.
- You must not change travel arrangements made through your ISO.
- Travel includes unavoidable stopovers only.
- For unavoidable stopovers, accommodation of a minimum standard will be booked.
- Prepare to be flexible on dates.
Reunion travel
Your reunion travel entitlements are based on the duration of your study. You can find more about what you are entitled to in your Policy Handbook.
You can take reunion travel at any time as long as it does not interfere with your study. That means you cannot miss any classes or assignments, or more than 4 weeks total leave per entitlement if you are a PhD scholar. You must also not take your travel in the last 6 months of your scholarship.
Contact your ISO to discuss the best time to take your reunion travel.
Personal travel
Personal travel is any kind of trip or holiday you may take during your scholarship, which is not one of your reunion travel entitlements. You have to fund your own personal travel.
If you are planning to take personal travel during your scholarship:
- It must not interfere with your study, and must be outside trimester time.
- It should be discussed with your ISO and supervisor if you are a PhD or Master’s by thesis student.
- It is your responsibility to check you the insurance adviser to insure you are covered.
- If you are leaving the country, you must let your ISO know by email.
Travel for study or conferences
If you are attending a conference, even if it is in Wellington, you must seek approval from your ISO in the first instance. If you are meeting all of the scholarship continuation criteria, and the time away will not have a negative impact on your studies, your ISO may be able to approve the travel or attendance.
You can find out more about the scholarship continuation criteria in your Policy Handbook.