What is the Aspire Scholarship?
The Aspire Scholarship is a scholarship for students from low income families, to assist with the costs of privatesecondary schooling.
Who is eligible for an Aspire Scholarship?
Astudent is eligible for an Aspire Scholarship in 2010 if:
- they will be in Year 9, 10 or 11 in 2010
- they are not a beneficiary of a trust
- their primary carer(s) are not beneficiaries of a trust
- their primary carer(s)[1]had a combined yearly gross income (income before tax) of $65,000 or less[2] in the 2008/2009 financial year
- their primary carer(s)’ net worth[3] is, at the time of application, $150,000 or less
- an application is submitted to the Ministry of Education for the student by
14October 2009OR 28 October 2009[4]
- they are a New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident of New Zealand.
What does an Aspire Scholarship provide?
An Aspire Scholarship will assist with the fees of aprivate secondary schoolfor the duration of a student’s attendance at this school (and transferable if the student transfers to a new private school(s)), contributing up to $15,000 per year (depending on the particular school’s fees). School fees will be paid directly to schools.
The scholarship will also include an additional yearly allowance, up to $1,500, to cover course related costs. This will be paid directly to the applicant’s personal account, after the Ministry receives expense quotes for each payment. Receipts of the payments must then be sent to the Ministry for verification.
The scholarship covers only day fees. If a student chooses to board at a private boarding school, the family of the student must cover the boarding fees independently.
What you need to do if you get a scholarship
If you are successful in gaining a scholarship you are not guaranteed a place at any private school. Successful applicants are fully responsible for finding a placement at a private school.
If an applicant does not find and enrol at a suitable school within eight weeks of receiving notice of the scholarship, the scholarship will be terminated.Applicants are encouraged to notify the Ministry of Education as early as possible if they choose not to use the scholarship, or if they are unable to use the scholarship. Any returned scholarships will be redistributed as they become available, by randomly selecting further applicants from the ballot.
A list of all New Zealand private schools that include some or all secondary year levels can also be found on the Ministry website ( Students who are accepted for this scholarship are able to approach any of these schools for enrolment. New Zealand schools that are not listed are either state schools or state integrated schools, so are not options for this scholarship.
You can also find further information about private schools at
How are students chosen?
In order to choose which eligible applicants will receive the scholarship, all eligible applicants will go into a ballot and be selected randomly. The fund is limited, so some eligible applicants may not get a scholarship. Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application by letter.
The first ballot will be held after the first due date of 14 October 2009, where 75 applicants will be drawn for places in private schools in 2010. A second ballot will be held after the second due date of 28October 2009, where a further 75 applicants will be drawn. Applications that are received by the 14 October 2009 will be placed in the second ballot for a second chance, if they are not selected in the first ballot.
The applications will be separated into Year levels so that a total of 50 Year 9 students, 50 Year 10 students and 50 Year 11 students are selected to receive scholarships for placements at private schools in 2010.
The application process:
In order to apply for the Aspire Scholarship, the following steps must be taken:
- One of the student’s primary carersmust complete and sign the application form attached to this information sheet.
- The primary carermust sign the statutory declaration form attached to this information sheet in front of an authorised witness[5]. Signing the declaration confirms that all information in the application is true.The Ministry may audit applications at random, or if any reason is given to suggest information in an application is inaccurate.
- A statement of incomemust be provided for each primary carer. A statement of income can be obtained from Inland Revenue (contact 0800 227 774 or 04 978 0738 from a mobile phone).Pay slips from the previous six weeks can also be provided if either of the primary carer(s)are no longer earning the salary reflected in their last statement of income.
- An authorised copy of either the applicant’s New Zealand birth certificate (if a New Zealand citizen), or the applicant’s passport (if a permanent New Zealand resident), to verify residency in New Zealand.
- A pre-printed bank computer deposit slip must be provided to verify your account for payments of course related costs.
- Contact details of the applicant’s current principal and a chosenreferee, such as a family friend or church member, must be provided for contact. If you are homeschooled, please choose two referees. The Ministry may make contact with these individuals to clarify the details provided in the application.
Ongoing support
The Aspire Scholarship will be provided to a student throughout their schooling at a private school, for as long as they remain at the school. Support may be terminated if the student leaves the private school. If the student does leave, there is no guarantee they will be able to continue using the same scholarship to assist with fees at another private school. However, in this situation,the family should get in touch with the Ministry to discuss the circumstances.
Privacy Statement
The personal information on this form is being collected by the Ministry for the purpose of considering your application for an Aspire Scholarship. The information will be used only for the purpose ofconsidering the application, administering the scholarship should the application be successful, and for statistical and research purposes.
The information may be shared for these purposes, for example the Ministry may check the information on the application form with relevant agencies such as the Inland Revenue Department or the student’s referee or principal.
The information collected isheld in Schools and Student Support inthe Ministry of Education and you have the right to access and request correction of this information.
Enquiries
If you have any further enquiries, please get in touch:
- Email:
- Phone: (04) 463 8262
- Fax: (04) 463 8252
- Your local Ministry of Education office:
- Whangarei: (09) 436 8900
- Auckland: (09) 632 9400
- Hamilton: (07) 858 7130
- Rotorua: (07) 349 7399
- Napier: (06) 833 6730
- Wanganui: (06) 349 6300
- Lower Hutt (04) 463 8699
- Nelson: (03) 546 3470
- Christchurch: (03) 378 7300
- Dunedin: (03) 471 5200
- Invercargill: (03) 211 3610
[1]For the purposes of the Aspire Scholarship programme, the primary carers in relation to a student means the student’s parent(s), step-parent(s), guardian(s), caregiver(s), or any other person(s) acting in the place of a parent who the student lives with most of the time.
[2]This includes income from all sources, including interest, dividends, child support payments, Working for Families tax credits,and trusts.
[3]Net worth is the value of all of your assets, minus your liabilities. For example, if you owe $320,000 on a property with a market value of $400,000 then your net worth is equal to $80,000. Your assets may include cash, term deposits, property, vehicles, shares, company bonds, and any business interests you may have.
[4]Applications will be accepted up until28 October 2009, but applications received by 14 October 2009 will have two chances to be selected for the scholarship (explained later in the document).
[5]An authorised witness must be a Solicitor, a Justice of the Peace, a Court Registrar, or any other person authorised to take a statutory declaration.