Mekong Institute-New Zealand Ambassador’s Scholarships (MINZAS)

For nearly 15 years New Zealand has been the key donor to the Mekong Institute, based at Thailand’s Khon Kaen University, which provides advanced training to students from the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

Our strong support for the Institute was supplemented this year with the establishment of the Mekong Institute – New Zealand Ambassador’s Scholarships programme for students from Thailand , Lao PDR, Cambodia and Burma. The programme is designed to support students undertaking Masters’ degrees by developing their research skills through structured courses at MI.

In February, Ambassador Bede Corry welcomed the inaugural 12 scholarship holders to the Embassy for a congratulatory afternoon tea, presentation of letters’ of congratulations, and of course the all important commemorative photo. We invited each of the students to talk about their research and were delighted at the range of topics chosen and their resonance with key themes for the region – economic integration, community access to resources and tourism management. We were humbled by the students’ gratitude and the evident seriousness with which they are approaching their studies.