PRIME MINISTER'S SCHOLARSHIPS

Supporting the education and professional development of athletes, coaches, officials and support team

Prime Minister’s Scholarships support athletes, coaches, officials and support team to gain educational or professional development while continuing in sport.

Prime Minister’s Coach, Official and Support Team Scholarships support eligible recipients to achieve professional development outcomes relevant to work and experience within their designated sport or area of expertise within high performance sport.

PM Athlete Scholarships are now open.

  • The Prime Minister’s Athlete Scholarship intake is open from 8:30am on Wednesday, 12 November 2025 and will close 11:59pm on Sunday, 30 November 2025.

Athlete Scholarships

Athlete Scholarship Purpose

The purpose of the Prime Minister’s Athlete Scholarship is to provide scholarships to athletes, enabling them to pursue educational opportunities while maintaining their active participation in high-performance sport. These scholarships aim to broaden the skillsets and educational backgrounds of athletes, preparing them for diverse career paths by enhancing their non-sport development and encourage sustainability of the athlete talent pool.  

The Athlete scholarship support can include:  

  • Financial contribution to study (course) costs and additional study fees  
    • Athlete Scholarship: Maximum $10,000 per application/applicant per year 
    • Athlete Gold Scholarship: Maximum $10,000 per application/applicant per year 
  • Financial contribution to Study Support Allowance (SSA) 
    • Athlete Scholarship: Maximum $2,500 per semester 
    • Athlete Gold Scholarship: Maximum $500 per semester 
Applicant Criteria

Athlete Scholarship 

  • Be a New Zealand citizen.
  • Be a high-performance athlete:
    • Be identified by HPSNZ as a Tailored Athlete Performance Support (TAPS) athlete, or
    • New Zealand Senior international representative athlete in an Invested or Non-Invested Sport
  • The proposed study must fit within the athlete’s Individual Performance Plan (IPP) for the next 12-month period, with study requirements that do not restrict the athlete’s ability to commit to their agreed national training and competition plans.
  • Submit a complete application.
  • Be endorsed by their NSO and HPSNZ (sought by PMS team and based on guideline requirements and athlete performance) leading up to and during the scholarship.


Previous applicants: 
 

  • Have met all recipient requirements whilst studying under the scholarship in the previous 12 months. 

 

Athlete Gold Scholarship 

The Prime Minister’s Athlete Gold Scholarship is available to eligible recipients (athletes) after they transition-out or retire from all international competition, or Team sport athletes transition out or retire from New Zealand international representative “Teams in Black”. 

  • Athletes may be eligible for a Prime Minister’s Athlete Gold Scholarship based on their performance results at pinnacle events as agreed annually between NSOs and HPSNZ as set out in the Prime Minister’s Athlete Guidelines (2025-28) Schedule 1 
  • Athlete Gold Scholarships can be accrued to a maximum of 3 scholarship years, and all accrued scholarships expire 5 years after retirement.  
  • Recipients must start their course of study within 24 months (2 years) of transitioning-out or retiring from international competition. 
Who to contact

Please contact the PM Scholarships team on [email protected], or alternatively contact your HPSNZ Performance Life Coach

Athlete Case studies

Athlete Scholarships - Internship Programme

Purpose

HPSNZ is offering up to 10 paid internships each year for athletes through the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Athlete Internship to support athlete wellbeing, and preparation for life after sport.

This opportunity can assist athletes to sustain dual careers and explore options aligned to their interests and qualifications. Successful candidates will work with the HPSNZ Athlete Internship Lead to create an internship that suits them.

Who can apply

Athletes from HPSNZ supported sports can apply for this paid internship opportunity.

Priority will be given to athletes that have recently completed or are in the final year of their qualification/training. Refer to the PM Scholarship Guidelines Schedule 1 for further details.

How and when to apply

Step 1: Contact your Performance Life coach or Personal Development Manager to see if this opportunity is right for you and for support with your application. See FAQs for more information.

Step 2: Apply now through the link (see below) by 12pm 31st October.

After you have filled out the online application form, supporting documents must be emailed to [email protected]

Apply here: HPSNZ Athlete Internship

Step 3: Applicants may be invited to interview with the PM Scholarship Internship Panel as part of the application and matching process.

Step 4: Successful applicants will be notified by 30th November

Who to contact

Your Performance Life Coach, PDM or Internship Lead Hannah McLean [email protected]

Athlete Internship Case Studies

Coach Scholarships

Website under maintenance

This section is currently being updated. Please come back on 30 January 2026 for the latest information.

Who to contact

Please contact the PM Scholarships team on [email protected], or alternatively contact your HPSNZ HP Coach Consultant (if applicable).

Coach Case Studies

Support Team Scholarships

Website under maintenance

This section is currently being updated. Please come back on 30 January 2026 for the latest information.

Who to contact

Please contact the PM Scholarships team on [email protected], or alternatively contact your HPSNZ Performance Team Leader.

Support Team Case Studies

Official Scholarships

Website under maintenance

This section is currently being updated. Please come back on 30 January 2026 for the latest information.

Who to contact

Please contact the PM Scholarships team on [email protected]

@for ($i = 0; $i < 4; $i++)
{{--
--}}
@endfor