Equality in education is an essential human right. For women and girls, education provides the tools and resources to empower them to make decisions about their lives and the future of their families.
To promote gender equality in education, Zonta International supports three programmes for women and girls pursuing education and careers in the fields of aerospace sciences and engineering, business and business management, and public affairs.
These programs are made possible through donations made to local Zonta clubs, to District 16 and to the Zonta International Foundation.
International Scholarships and Awards
International scholarships and awards are applied locally through club level. Winners at club level go through to the District 16 (New Zealand) competition and the District 16 winner is entered into the international competition.
Zonta Women in Business Leadership
The Zonta Women in Business Leadership award was developed to encourage more women to pursue education and careers in business. Women, aged 18-35 at the time of application, who demonstrate evidence of the following, are eligible to apply.
- Exceptional leadership in a business-related field of study or industry.
- Entrepreneurial spirit.
- Ethical Conduct.
- Significant contributions to addressing global or local issues affecting women and girls or climate justice.
Applicants are sourced annually from Otago University and Otago Polytechnic. Our Club offers the selected applicant a scholarship of $1,000. Further details are found at Zonta International or requested from the Chair of the Advocacy Committee at zontaadvocacydunedin@gmail.com.
Applications close on 1 July 2025 and should be sent to zontaadvocacydunedin@gmail.com
The Zonta Club of Metropolitan Dunedin offers a NZ$1,000 scholarship and Zonta International offers 10 international awards of US$10,000 each and a complimentary one-year supporting membership in Zonta International for the next financial year.
Young Women in Leadership Award
Zonta Young Women in Leadership Award (formerly the Young Women in Public Affairs Award) recognizes young women, ages 16-19, for demonstrating leadership skills and commitment to public service and civic causes, and encourages them to continue their participation in public and political life. Ten international scholarships of US$4,000 each and up to 32 district or region scholarships of US$1,500 each are awarded each year.
Applicants are sourced annually from Otago secondary schools – applications close on 20 March 2025. The award at club level is $1,000. Further details can be requested from the Chair of the Advocacy Committee via zontaadvocacydunedin@gmail.com.
Click on the link below to read more about the awards and scholarships available
Local Scholarships and Awards
In addition to the International Scholarships and Awards, the Zonta Club of Metropolitan Dunedin offers scholarships and awards for women to study trade/apprenticeship, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects and for second chance education opportunities. All applicants must align to Zonta’s mission and vision.
Trade Scholarship
The aim of this scholarship is to encourage young women from the Dunedin area to enter a recognised trade such as, but not limited to, construction, plumbing, electrical and automotive.
To enable this, the Zonta Club of Metropolitan Dunedin Inc, is awarding one merit-based competitive scholarship of $1,000.
The scholarship will be awarded to the successful applicant provided that they can provide evidence of enrolment in either their chosen course or of their acceptance to an approved apprenticeship.
It is envisaged the scholarship will be used for course related costs, i.e. fees, tools or materials.
This scholarship aims to recognise a young woman from the Dunedin area who meets the criteria and demonstrates an ambition to pursue a career with her trade of choice.
Applicant must be a student at a Dunedin School/College or a young woman who is currently completing a pre-trade training course or who is in her first year of an approved Trades apprenticeship with a Dunedin business.
Applicant must be intending to enrol or be enrolled with the Otago Polytechnic or an Otago based NZQA approved education provider or been accepted into an approved apprenticeship programme with an Otago based employer.
If you have any questions in relation to this scholarship, please contact the Advocacy and Scholarships Committee at zontaadvocacydunedin@gmail.com
Applications close annually on 30 September.
STEM Scholarship
The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage a young woman who meets the scholarship criteria and demonstrates an ambition to continue her study in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics.
To encourage this, the Zonta Club of Metropolitan Dunedin is awarding a post graduate scholarship of $2,000 p.a, to be awarded to a female student who has completed a degree at Otago University and is wishing to undertake post graduate study, or graduate study combined with a research project.
The scholarship may be awarded for a maximum of three years, provided that the scholarship winner continues to be enrolled in their chosen study and can show evidence of her academic success at the completion of each year’s study.
The scholarship winner is required to provide evidence of enrolment and end of year results in their chosen course to the Zonta Club of Metropolitan Dunedin prior to the scholarship continuing.
If you have any questions about this scholarship, please contact the Advocacy Committee Chair via zontaadvocacydunedin@gmail.com
or look on the Otago University website.
Applications close annually on 30 September.
Local Fund Scholarships
Are available for individual women, or groups of women, who identify a need for funding or second-chance education scholarships. In the past, we have supported adult students at Polytech, purchased textbooks for night school students, helped a young mother become a personal trainer to share her fitness success with others and supported an engineering student when she went to help rebuild villages in the Pacific after a cyclone. Many women have been supported to achieve their goals in our 25 years.
Applications may be sent at any time of the year, applications are available from the club secretary via metropolitandunedin@zonta.org.nz.
Zonta Club of Metropolitan Dunedin 