William Evans Fellowships: Information for Departments

Work visas

If the visit is for more than 3 months

If the planned duration of your visitor's stay is more than 3 months, they need to make an application for an entry and work visa.

The applicant should not delay in making application as procedures can take some time to complete.

Find out more about temporary working visas

If the visit is for 3 calendar months or less

If the planned duration of your visitor's stay is less than 3 months, Fellows may be eligible to enter New Zealand on a visitor visa. This is subject to meeting certain criteria, including coming from a visa waiver country of origin.

Visit the Immigration New Zealand Operational Manual for more information (search for 'visiting academic' in the 'Search' tab)

If the visitor is not from a visa waiver country, or does not meet any of the other criteria, they will need to apply for a visitor visa before you come to New Zealand. The applicant should not delay in making application as procedures can take some time to complete.

Find out more about applying for visitor's visas

Timing of visits

Some Fellows do not indicate exact dates of their visit when the application is made. Once dates are finalised, please inform the William Evans Fellowship Administrator so our records can be kept up-to-date.

If the Fellow needs to change their visit dates, likewise please inform the William Evans Fellowship Administrator. If the change is minimal, (within one month of the original dates), and is within the teaching semester, there should not be any problems. However, if the dates of the visit change significantly, it will be referred to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for consideration. Changes to dates which extend the visit outside the timeframes as set out the in the Terms and Conditions will only be approved in exceptional circumstances.

Airfares

Airfares can be booked either by the Fellow for reimbursement on arrival in Dunedin, or by the Department. You may wish to enquire with your usual travel agent to check whether or not airfares would be cheaper booked by the University, as in some cases we have received feedback they can be significantly cheaper if booked this way. Airfares may be invoiced through the Department, to be deducted from the Fellow's grant.

Reimbursement of Grant

The grant awarded to the Fellow is based on estimated economy return airfares, plus an allowance of $150 per day for accommodation and expenses, up to a maximum of $7,500. The exact amount that has been approved for each individual Fellow, in accordance with these guidelines, will be detailed in the letter of invitation.

Upon being advised by the Department of the arrival of the Fellow, the William Evans Fellowship Administrator, will transfer the funds allocated from the William Evans Trust Account to the Department, who will then administer reimbursement and payment of receipts against the grant.

If the Fellow requires assistance with making travel and accommodation arrangements they should make contact with their host in the Department and/or the Departmental Administrator who will be responsible for the administration of the grant.

Please note importantly that the Fellow is required to retain receipts for expenses incurred and must provide these to the Departmental Administrator in order for a reimbursement claim to be processed. This is necessary for taxation reporting purposes.

The reimbursement can be credited directly to their home bank account, usually at the completion of their visit. Therefore, they will need to bring bank account details (bank name, branch, account number, account name) for this to be processed.

When your Visiting Fellow arrives, please notify the William Evans Fellowship Administrator and provide an account code so the funds can be journalled to your Department.

A Statement of Expenditure form should be completed by the Departmental Administrator or person in the Department who will be processing the reimbursement claims etc. This will then need to be returned to the William Evans Fellowship Administrator, and any unspent monies journalled back to the William Evans Trust account.

Advertising

When a visit is imminent, please provide a brief résumé of the visiting Fellow to Marketing and Communications for publication in the Otago Bulletin. The information might include details of seminars and public lectures scheduled to be given by the Fellow.

Reports

After the Fellow's visit, the Department must submit a report to their Pro-Vice-Chancellor which assesses the benefits of the visit. The Fellow must provide a report. The standard report format is available on the web. Please ensure that the report matches/reflects the expected outcomes as set out in the original nomination form.

Please note that the Guidelines for the Fellowship state that further applications will not be considered if there are reports outstanding from previous William Evans Fellowships. Therefore, it is essential that reports be provided as soon as possible.

It is recommended that the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (or nominee) responsible for the host Department should invite the Fellow to a meeting, possibly including lunch or morning tea, to discuss the Fellow's activities towards the end of the visit. Please contact your PVC to arrange a suitable time.

Download the Departmental Report Form
Download the Fellow Report Form

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the chances of our getting another WE Fellow within the next year in view of the fact that we've just hosted one?

The Selection Committee does look at statistics i.e. how many successful/unsuccessful nominations each department has had over the years; however the strength of the application would be the most important factor.

How many Fellows are hosted at the University at the same time?

Approximately 8 fellows are chosen each round. Sometimes if the strength of the nominations isn't up to the normal standard, fewer fellowships are awarded and the funds are held over and a greater number of fellowships are awarded at a subsequent round.

Could you please give me an idea how much a William Evans Fellow might expect to receive as a stipend if they were with us for three weeks and traveling from the UK. I'm just wondering how much of their costs would be covered and whether or not they could factor in some research in New Zealand while they are here.

Most requests are for $7,500 which is the maximum amount awarded. As for research, that would be a separate matter - most Fellows come into the country on a visiting academics visa and there are some boundaries in terms of income and tax obligations but you would need to seek further clarification from the Department of Immigration.

How often do the Selection Committee meet? How long will it take to find out the outcome of my application?

The Selection Committee meets twice yearly, approximately 1 month following the nomination deadline. Usually departments will be able to find out if their nomination has been successful or not within a couple of days following the meeting.