Last updated:
Friday, 8 October 2021
Frequently Asked Questions about the He Whenua Taurikura Master's Scholarship
- Who has established this scholarship?
- How much are the scholarships worth?
- How many scholarships are available in this round?
- What costs does the funding cover?
- How will the funding be administered?
- What outputs are required from the scholarship?
- When would outputs need to be delivered?
- Are there any residency requirements?
- What subjects and types of masters’ programmes are included in this scholarship?
- I’m studying part-time, can I still apply?
- What topics are you looking for?
- What information should the letter of recommendation from the academic advisor include?
- How do I get in touch with government agencies to talk about my research proposal?
- When are applications due by?
- When will selection decisions be made?
- How do I apply?
- How is selection made?
- Can the scholarship be terminated?
Who has established this scholarship?
The scholarship has been established through a new government-funded research institution, the National Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, provisionally named He Whenua Taurikura.
How much are the scholarships worth?
The scholarships are valued at $15,000 each.
How many scholarships are available in this round?
The funding for this round of applications provides for a minimum of 10 scholarships.
What costs does the funding cover?
The $15,000 can be used towards programme fees, living costs, and research-related expenses (e.g. data collection costs, research related travel).
How will the funding be administered?
The scholarship will be administered in two instalments. The first half of the funds will be paid at the beginning of the academic year upon proof of enrolment in the master’s programme. The second half of the funds will be paid mid-year with proof of satisfactory performance in the programme. For those studying part time, the funds will be split over the extended period of study.
What outputs are required from the scholarship?
There is a required research component of at least a 15,000 word thesis as part of the programme. This may be satisfied through either a taught master’s or research master’s programme. Students of any taught masters are eligible as long as the 15,000 word minimum requirement is met.
There is also a requirement to make the findings of the research publicly available – though how the student chooses to do this is flexible (i.e. blog post, op-ed, policy brief, interview, presentation or similar).
When would outputs need to be delivered?
At the conclusion of the master’s programme
Are there any residency requirements?
Students must have the legal right to study in New Zealand. This includes New Zealand citizens, permanent residents, and some categories of visa holders.
What subjects and types of masters’ programmes are included in this scholarship?
We encourage applications from members of under-represented groups within the research community, including Māori, ethnic minority groups, members of the transgender community, and religious and faith groups.
Scholarship applications are welcomed from a broad range of disciplinary and trans-disciplinary backgrounds related to preventing and countering violent extremism, to ensure a holistic approach to these topics.
Relevant fields include a range of social science and humanities disciplines (including Māori studies) that address how related thematic areas such as social cohesion / inclusion contribute to preventing and countering violent extremism, and how social inequality or exclusion may hinder achieving these.
This includes, but is not limited to, MA, MSc, MPP, MBus, MCTS and LLM programmes (the selection board reserves the right to determine the eligibility of a particular area of study).
I’m studying part-time, can I still apply?
Yes you can!
What topics are you looking for?
Proposed research should support the vision of New Zealand’s Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Strategy of “bringing our nation together to protect all New Zealanders from terrorism and violent extremism of all kinds”. Successful applications will have clearly identified policy implications and will directly relate to one (or more) of the Strategy’s four pillars:
mōhio – understand
mahi tahi – work together
whakahōtaetae – prevent
takatū – be ready to respond and recover
The Centre is especially interested in research that contributes to progressing one of the following areas:
- Building an understanding of what violent extremism looks like in Aotearoa New Zealand and the impact of this on communities (part of mōhio – understand).
- Building an understanding of the key causes and drivers of violent extremism in Aotearoa New Zealand, with consideration of its varied forms (online/offline, individual/ group, identity- and faith-motivated violent extremism), and identifying the risks of and pathways to extremist violence (part of mōhio – understand).
- Increasing public understanding of the nature of terrorism and violent extremism threats and what people can do to protect themselves and others (part of mōhio – understand).
- Developing and evaluating New Zealand-specific approaches to Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, with a focus on prevention and disengagement initiatives (part of whakahōtaetae – prevent).
- Countering violent extremism online (part of whakahōtaetae – prevent).
What information should the letter of recommendation from the academic advisor include?
Your academic advisor should be able to speak to your academic background, research interests, and your ability to successfully complete the proposed master’s degree.
How do I get in touch with government agencies to talk about my research proposal?
While not a requirement, scholarship applicants are encouraged to develop their research applications in consultation with relevant policy and operational agencies working on these issues within the New Zealand government, to enable research to directly inform policy approaches. For assistance in facilitating this, please contact HWT@dpmc.govt.nz.
Applications are due by 31 October 2021.
When will selection decisions be made?
Selection decisions will be made in November 2021.
Applications are to be made using the application form and submitted to HWT@dpmc.govt.nz. Applications must include:
- Completed application form, including full details of intended programme of study.
- Transcript from all universities attended.
- Letter of recommendation from an academic advisor.
- 2-3 page statement of intent that includes:
- Motivation for pursuing postgraduate study in this area.
- Summary of proposed thesis/research paper topic.
- How the proposed topic relates to one (or more) pillars of New Zealand’s Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Strategy.
- If applicable, how the proposed topic relates to one (or more) of the identified priority research areas.
- If applicable, the nature of any proposed consultation on the research with a relevant New Zealand government agency.
Scholarships will be awarded on the recommendations of the selection committee.
The committee will be convened by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) as the lead agency working on the establishment of He Whenua Taurikura, and consist of senior academics and researchers from a variety of New Zealand universities and research institutions, as well as representatives from relevant government agencies.
The committee may consult with universities, tertiary institutions and others as it deems fit.
The decisions of the selection committee are final and no correspondence will be entered into following selection.
Can the scholarship be terminated?
The Centre, DPMC or the selection committee may at any time suspend or terminate any scholarship if they are satisfied that the scholar is not diligently pursuing the programme of research or original work or has failed to comply with any of the terms and conditions on which the scholarship was awarded.
Scholars agree that they will repay any funds which were not used for the purpose of the scholarship or were not used within the timeframe for which they were awarded.
