The purpose of visiting fellowships is to give lectures to UC students. A nomination is made by the head of the relevant school or department, after consultation with relevant academic colleagues.
The deadline dates for 2025 nominations are as follows:
For teaching starting during | Nomination required by* |
Term 1 & mid-semester break 2025 | 15 October 2024 |
Term 2 & mid-year break 2025 | 15 December 2024 |
Term 3 and mid-semester break 2025 | 15 March 2025 |
Term 4 & study break/exam period 2025 | 15 May 2025 |
*If any of the above deadlines fall on a weekend, the deadline is the next business day.
If the course a Visiting Fellow is coming to teach does not follow UC’s typical semesters, we ask that the nomination is with us a minimum of four months before the intended fellowship start date.
Faculties have a yearly quota for fellowships which are allocated to schools/departments within the Faculty. A department's quota can be averaged over any two-year period. A visitor is expected to teach a minimum of 3 hours per week (or equivalent student contact hours).
Up to 6 Canterbury Fellowships and Canterbury Grants are awarded annually. Nominations are assessed on a competitive basis and a minimum of three lectures per week (or equivalent student contact hours) is expected.
A nomination form requests the following information
- The full mailing address plus zip code/postcode and the e-mail address of the nominated visitor.
- Date of birth (which is used for travel insurance purposes).
- A current curriculum vitae including a publications list.
- A written and dated travel quotation from the University's travel agent.
- Details of the proposed lecture programme (including a summary of lecture hours and student numbers) and any additional activities to be underetaken during the visit.
- Proposed visit dates.
- Information about whether or not the visitor has visited UC before through an award from the Erskine Programme.
- If a second airfare is to be requested for an accompanying spouse, partner or other immediate family member.
- Number of immediate family members to travel with the visiting fellow and the ages of any children under 16 years old.
- The signature of the Head of Department/School or formally appointed acting Head.
- The signature of the Faculty Executive Dean.
The signature of the nominating Head of School/Department is taken as confirmation that the academic arrangements in place, with any other Schools/Departments named as benefiting from a Fellow's visit, have been formally approved by such other Heads. Nominations are considered on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic and the invitation is formally extended by the Erskine Programme Office. Because the purpose of Erskine Programme Visiting Fellowships is to give lectures to students, shorter visits of, say, one month are timed so that the bulk of the period falls in term-time.
Where relevant, a second airfare will be offered for a spouse or domestic partner, or other immediate family member living at the same address, who will be visiting for a minimum period, excluding travelling time to/from Christchurch, of 28 continuous days or longer during the period of the Fellowship proper. For convenience, the family member need not travel with the visitor in either direction. As the above period is the minimum duration for a Fellowship itself, travel for a shorter visit by a family member is not paid for by the University.
After an acceptance is received, formal communication with the visitor is through the Erskine Programme Office who will correspond with the Head of School/Department regarding the visit.
The Head of School/Department is advised when a formal response is received to the letter of invitation. When a formal acceptance is received, the Erskine Programme Office will send the visitor a letter regarding travel and, unless advised otherwise, will routinely arrange fully furnished accommodation for the visitor.
The per diem rate for Erskine Programme Visiting Fellows is NZ$100 per night. The per diem is paid for eligible nights (term-time) and is paid directly by the Erskine Programme to the visitor. Visitors are expected to set up a New Zealand bank account to receive payment of the maintenance grant. The maintenance allowance is not currently taxable in New Zealand.
Accommodation is also provided for the duration of the fellowship. Visitors will be housed in pre-approved private accommodation. While our staff make every effort to meet individual accommodation requirements, we are unable to guarantee any specific style or standard.
Please contact the Erskine Programme Office if you have any questions - erskine@canterbury.ac.nz
Some visitors may require visas to enter New Zealand depending on their country of origin and length of stay.
The Erskine Programme Office and academic departments/colleagues are not legally permitted to provide visa advice in New Zealand. Whilst we are happy to assist with some general queries, we recommend that any specific questions you have about which visa is most appropriate for your situation be addressed to Immigration New Zealand directly. Their contact details and hours are available at https://www.immigration.govt.nz/contact.
Visiting fellows are responsible for arranging their own visas to New Zealand. Visitors should ensure that they leave sufficient time to arrange any required visas, as they can take up to 3 months to be processed. Where a visitor fails to obtain any necessary visas before departure which prevents them from coming to New Zealand, they will be liable to reimburse the Erskine Programme, in full, for any costs incurred (such as airline tickets or accommodation costs).
Some visitors and transit passengers must have an Electronic Travel Authority and pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy before travelling to NZ. Before you travel to New Zealand, it is your responsibility to check if you need a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA). You will also have to pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL). For more information on how to obtain an eTA, please follow this link.
Please contact the Erskine Programme Office for further information at erskine@canterbury.ac.nz
On arrival each visitor is
- met at the airport by their host (or other designated person) and taken to their accommodation
- provided with a folder of introductory information;
- issued with a Canterbury Card which will allow access to UC's computer systems, buildings and libraries;
- asked to finalise the opening of a NZ bank account into which their maintenance allowance will be paid. The transfer of funds to the visitor's bank account normally takes place within 3 to 9 working days of receipt of the bank account number; and
- welcomed into life at UC.
The visitor will also receive a full introduction into their allocated school/department by their host or departmental administrator.
At the conclusion of a Visiting Fellowship the visitor provides a brief report regarding the academic events of the visit, which the Erskine Programme Office will circulate to the Senior Leadership Team and Heads of Departments. The report is managed through Qualtrics, the university's survey and questionnaire tool.
