Can I postpone a scholarship? What happens if I need to leave NZ due to an emergency?

You may be entitled to one compassionate travel entitlement to return to your home country in the event of the death or the critical medical condition of a family member. To be potentially eligible for this entitlement, family members are defined as: • your parents • your spouse or partner • your children • your siblings (brothers and sisters) and grandparents • if relevant, the family member who has been your primary caregiver. For the purposes of this entitlement, the following are not defined as family members, unless they have been your primary caregiver: • your uncles and aunts • your cousins. Sometimes compassionate travel will be covered under medical and travel insurance. If it is not covered by insurance, ENZ will fund compassionate travel as long as you can provide medical details about the family member’s death or critical medical condition. ENZ will also be contacted by institutions to verify circumstances, especially if documentation is not readily available. If you seek the compassionate travel entitlement on the basis that the eligible family member has been your primary caregiver, you will need to demonstrate written evidence of this before travel can be approved. You must inform the ISO if you wish to apply for compassionate travel. In specific exceptional circumstances, such as a significant natural disaster in your home country, ENZ may approve an additional compassionate travel entitlement to enable you to return home for a short period of time. Or Some scholars may experience unexpected personal or medical issues that prevent them from continuing with their study. In the first instance, ENZ encourages these scholars to take a deferral of study of up to one year to resolve these issues – please discuss this with the ISO at your institution. However, if these issues cannot be resolved through pastoral care support or a deferral, the scholar may voluntarily withdraw from their scholarship. Withdrawal is not available to scholars who have not met the academic continuation criteria or whose scholarship is being considered for termination. To withdraw from your scholarship, you must notify your institution in writing of your intention to withdraw and the reason for doing so. The institution will then inform ENZ of your decision. All scholarship funding will cease 14 days after the date of the withdrawal letter from ENZ. You and your spouse or partner, and any other dependants, must return to your home country within 14 days of the date of the withdrawal letter from ENZ. The institution will organise the return travel. Withdrawing from a scholarship is permanent, and you cannot take it up again at a later date. However, there is no penalty for withdrawing from a scholarship voluntarily, and you may apply again for a further scholarship after spending a minimum period of two years in your home country.