Jacob (Hākopa) Ashdown named 2025 Harkness Fellow
Hākopa Ashdown, (Te Aupōuri, Ngai Takoto, Ngāti Kahu), currently Private Secretary to the Minister for Māori Development at Te Puni Kōkiri, will undertake a prestigious research residency at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School, later this year.
The Harkness Fellowships, administered in partnership with the Leadership Development Centre at Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission, are among New Zealand’s most esteemed international awards for public sector leaders, supporting high-potential individuals to study or research in the United States for three to six months. The value of this year’s fellowship is $60,000.
The Fellowships aim to foster leadership, innovation, and the exchange of ideas between New Zealand and the US, empowering Fellows to address pressing challenges and drive positive change upon their return.
Ashdown’s project, Lessons Learned from the United States – Indigenous Economic Growth and Development in Underserved Communities, will examine successful US policies and initiatives that have accelerated economic growth for indigenous and economically disadvantaged communities.
His research seeks to understand how Special Economic Zones have attracted private capital into low-income communities designated as ’Opportunity Zones’, and how communities have established their own Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to address access to capital issues. Through the Fellowship, he will generate practical recommendations for New Zealand policymakers and iwi to improve economic growth.
You can read more about his Fellowship on the New Zealand Harkness Trust website.
Or learn more about the New Zealand Harkness Fellowships on our website.
New Zealand Harkness Fellowships