Internship proves invaluable on return to home country

Manaaki Scholars completing their PCF Summer Internships enjoy Pasifika Festival 2025 with PCF Chief Executive Joanna Bourke.

New Ireland 23-year-old Ashleigh Pangkatana is glad she took her own advice, when applying for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) Manaaki Scholarship and Pacific Cooperation Foundation (PCF) Summer Internship programmes.

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take,” Ashleigh says.

Ashleigh says she applied for a Manaaki Scholarship to complete her Arts degree, and subsequently a PCF Summer Internship on a whim.

“Three years later, here I am in Aotearoa New Zealand about to graduate, majoring in Politics and International Relations and Psychology.”

Working in partnership with MFAT, PCF offers Manaaki Scholars from the Pacific the opportunity to gain work experience in New Zealand over the summer period.

Chief Executive of PCF Joanna Bourke, and several Manaaki Scholars, including Ashleigh, joined the MFAT Pacific Connections team at Pasifika Festival 2025 in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

While engaging with the Pacific community, they created awareness about Manaaki Scholarships and Summer Internships – both of which are invaluable, Asleigh says.

“The highlight of my time in Aotearoa has been gaining an internship through PCF, because they are really hard to find in my field of study,” she says.

“Through PCF, I was able to be placed at the Public Policy Institute…I got to put into practise all the theory I’ve learned throughout the year.

“I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and hands-on experience in writing policy and analysing them, so I hope to bring that back home to Papua New Guinea and work somewhere, where I can implement everything I have learned.”

Joanna, who has been with PCF for the past three years as CEO, says the Summer Internships provide Manaaki Scholars, completing their degrees in New Zealand, with work experience at small to medium sized enterprises, NGOs, CSO levels and other small businesses which closely resemble what they will work in when they return home.

“Our scholars volunteer and get to work on projects or work alongside an organisation to help them become more employable – assisting them with their soft skills and allowing them to put their technical skills into practice.

“We also have started an alumni network where we stay connected to the students even when they go home – they have a community of practice but also a network they can tap into and connect with.”

Other areas PCF works in is around Pacific identity in New Zealand, and ensuring the Pacific connection stays strong and dynamic, and as a result work closely with the MFAT Pacific Connections team.

“It is really important we stay connected because we provide them with insights on what is happening within the diaspora, but also in the region and where there is likelihood for us to work together,” Joanna says.

By partnering with MFAT and other organisations who work in the Pacific, ensures everyone is working towards similar things, she adds.

“That is increasing the visibility but also the understanding that we as Pacific people bring a lot more diversity and wonderful things to New Zealand.”

Visit the PCF website for more information and follow MFAT Pacific Connections on Facebook.