Anchored in Culture, Leading Abroad: Pacific Youth Leaders Advance Through the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Programme in Thailand

Written By Joanna Bourke

Aotearoa’s emerging Pacific leaders reach the halfway point of a transformative nine-week education and cultural immersion programme — carrying their cultures, values, and the Moana with them into Thai classrooms and communities.

The 2024–25 Pacific cohort at the NZ Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, during their first week.

When a group of young Pacific leaders departed Aotearoa for Thailand in early December 2025, they carried more than their passports. They took their whakapapa, their villages, their languages, and the collective hopes of their communities. Now at the halfway point of their nine-week journey through the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Programme for Asia, these emerging leaders are demonstrating the power of Pacific identity on the global stage — grounded in culture, driven by service, and united by a shared commitment to uplift the next generation.

A Cohort Reflecting the Changing Face of Aotearoa

Aotearoa’s Pacific population is young, dynamic, and rapidly growing — and this cohort reflects that reality. They represent Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Kiribati, and the Cook Islands. They come from Auckland, Tokoroa, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, and Christchurch. They are youth workers, teachers, creatives, software engineers, scientists, and community leaders.
For many, this is their first time travelling beyond the Pacific region. For all, it is an opportunity to use their cultural superpowers — empathy, humour, relational intelligence, and deep respect — to show Thai communities what it means to be a child of the Moana.
“I didn’t realise how much of my identity I carry until I had to explain it to someone who had never met a Pacific person before.”
— Program Participant

A Transformative Beginning in Bangkok

The programme began with a week of cultural immersion in Bangkok — a city of movement, colour, and contrasts. Participants navigated Suvarnabhumi Airport’s queues, learned to ride the BTS Skytrain, explored markets and temples, and experienced the quiet reverence of a nation mourning its Queen.
Their learning experiences included:
  • A visit to Panyapiwat Institute of Management, Thailand’s leading corporate university
  • Engagement with the Teach for Thailand and Saturday School Foundation, supporting underserved youth
  • A briefing at the New Zealand Embassy, meeting ENZ representatives and the First Secretary
  • A hands-on cooking class at Sompong Thai Cooking School
  • Cultural visits to Wat Arun and the Chao Phraya River
This was not a holiday. It was a week of discovery — of Thailand, of each other, and of themselves.
“We came here as Pacific people, but also as representatives of New Zealand. That responsibility shaped everything we did.”
— Program Participant

Eight Weeks, Five Provinces, One Purpose

After Bangkok, the cohort dispersed across Thailand to begin their eight-week teaching assistant placements at Princess Chulabhorn Science High Schools (PCSHS), an elite public network of schools specialising in science and mathematics.
Placements include:
  • Nakhon Si Thammarat – Soana Aleva & Nicole Paiti
  • Buriram – Alaifetu Junior Tagaloa & Thorndon Antipas
  • Trang – Kayla Jones & Eileen Dixon
  • Chiang Rai – Moira-Rose Macdonald & Gingerlei Petelu
  • Phitsanulok – Gloria Tawake & Zion Pickering
Here, they are not tourists. They are contributors — supporting classroom teaching, mentoring students, sharing their stories, and promoting New Zealand’s education pathways.

Aligning With Education New Zealand’s International Education Strategy

This programme also directly supports Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao’s International Education Strategy, which focuses on three core pillars:
  • Delivering excellent education and student experiences
  • Growing global connections
  • Supporting New Zealand’s social, cultural, and economic wellbeing
The Prime Minister’s Scholarship Programme is a key mechanism for achieving these goals — strengthening people to people links, building global citizenship, and showcasing the diversity of Aotearoa’s education system.
By placing this cohort into Thai schools and communities, this programme:
  • Demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to meaningful cultural exchange
  • Builds long term relationships with Thai education institutions
  • Expands New Zealand’s presence in second-tier cities identified as strategic growth areas
  • Positions Pacific youth as authentic cultural ambassadors
  • Enhances New Zealand’s reputation as a welcoming, multicultural study destination
These young leaders embody the values ENZ seeks to promote internationally: openness, curiosity, integrity, and a deep respect for cultural diversity. Their presence in Thai classrooms offers Thai students a living example of New Zealand’s unique identity — one shaped by the Pacific, enriched by multiculturalism, and grounded in shared values.

PCF’s Purpose in Action: Aligning With the Blue Pacific Strategy 2050

This programme is more than an exchange — it is a strategic investment in Pacific futures, aligned with the Blue Pacific Strategy 2050, which calls for:
  • Empowering young people to reach their full potential
  • Strengthening cultural identity and traditional knowledge
  • Supporting women and youth to participate fully in economic, social, and political life
  • Building resilient, connected, and prosperous Pacific communities
  • Championing stewardship of the Blue Pacific Continent
PCF’s role is clear: to inspire, equip, and elevate Pacific youth so they can lead confidently — at home and abroad.
This cohort embodies that mission. They carry their cultural values into Thai classrooms. They build people-to-people connections that strengthen regional cooperation. They demonstrate the richness of Pacific identity to international audiences.
This is PCF’s forte. This is our purpose in action.

Cohort visit to the NZ Embassy and with the Manaaki Scholarship Team of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade New Zealand.

Strengthening New Zealand–Thailand Education Links

Thailand is New Zealand’s fifth-largest education market, and ENZ has identified second-tier cities as key growth areas. By placing Pacific youth in these regions, the programme:
  • Expands New Zealand’s visibility beyond Bangkok
  • Builds institutional relationships with PCSHS, ESEB, and OBEC
  • Showcases the diversity of New Zealand’s education system
  • Strengthens cultural diplomacy through lived experience
  • Creates pathways for future collaboration
These young leaders are not just representing Aotearoa — they are redefining it.
Joanna Bourke
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