The 2026 Toloa scholarships are now open for applications. Applications close on Friday 23 January 2025.

These scholarships support Pacific secondary and tertiary students who are passionate about studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), providing essential financial aid to help them thrive both academically and professionally.

Le Va manages Toloa scholarship applications, so head to their website to learn more, and please share this with anyone you know who might be interested.

Secondary students will receive $1,000 (excluding GST) towards their school fees, school uniforms, stationery, STEM school trips, and STEM programmes/courses organised by your school. This year’s secondary scholarships will no longer include digital devices as part of the non-monetary benefits, unlike in previous years.

Tertiary students in STEM courses can receive up to $10,000 for one year of full-time study. This may cover tuition, compulsory course-related costs, accommodation expenses for university halls, and for PhD students, research or fieldwork expenses.

Who can apply

The scholarship is open only to New Zealand citizens or permanent residents of Pacific Islands descent.

Secondary students

To be eligible, you must:

• demonstrate a genuine interest and commitment to Pacific culture, languages, identities, and communities
• be enrolled in a New Zealand secondary school, alternative education or verified home school
• provide school reports and academic results from the past 12 months (2025 academic year)
• be enrolled in at least two STEM subjects for year 9/10 and three STEM subjects for year 11-13 in 2026 academic year. Evidence will be required for year 11-13 students.

Tertiary students (for year 13 leavers)

To be eligible, you must:

• demonstrate a genuine interest and commitment to Pacific culture, languages, identities, and communities
• be enrolled full-time in a STEM-related programme in 2026 and provide proof of enrolment.

Toloa community fono

The Toloa team will be hosting two online fono to give our community the opportunity to address any questions they may have.

This will be held online on Zoom on the following days and times:

• 6pm on Monday 5 December
• 6pm on Monday 12 December

More details will be shared on the Le Va website when they become available.

Get in touch

For any questions about your application, contact the Le Va team by emailing toloa@leva.co.nz.