Ngā Tohu Harkness ki Aotearoa

New Zealand Harkness Fellowships

The New Zealand Harkness Fellowships are grounded in an international tradition of public service, international exchange and the practical application of ideas for the public good. They were first established in 1925 by the Commonwealth Fund as a global model for international learning and leadership development. In 2009, when the Commonwealth Fund decided to refocus the Harkness Fellowships exclusively on health care and policy practice, the New Zealand Harkness Fellowship was established by a group of New Zealand Harkness alumni.

Since then, the fellowships have supported high-potential public-sector leaders to spend 3-6 months in the United States. Fellows are embedded in leading government agencies, universities, research institutes, and think tanks, while also travelling more widely to build relationships, test ideas, and deepen their understanding of different policy and system contexts.

You can read more about recent alumni below.

2025 fellow Jacob (Hākopa) Ashdown: Championing innovation in Māori economic development: Jacob (Hākopa) Ashdown named 2025 Harkness Fellow (Harkness Fellowship Trust) 

2024 fellow Sarah Box: Where to for AI policy under Trump II? (Harkness Fellowship Trust) and US-Bound Harkness Fellow to explore AI policy development (Harkness Fellowship Trust) 

2023 fellows Aimee Hardup and Jym Clark:  Aimee Hadrup on 'powering up communities' to give kids the best start (Harkness Fellowship Trust) and  Harkness Fellow Jym Clark on climate adaptation and indigenous planning in New Mexico (Harkness Fellowship Trust) and  Planner Jym Clark explores Indigenous-led approaches to climate change 

2016 fellow Aphra Green:  Harkness Fellowship (Public Service Commission)

The Harkness Fellowship Values

The fellowships are founded on 5 enduring values that shape the Fellowship experience before, during, and long after the time spent in the United States:

1. International exchange. Fellows are expected not only to learn from the United States, but to actively contribute New Zealand perspectives, experience, and insight to United States-based institutions and networks, strengthening long-term relationships across the Pacific.

2. Curiosity and ideas. Fellows are encouraged to test assumptions, engage across disciplines, and explore emerging ideas, practices, and system approaches — not simply to validate existing solutions.

3. Bringing back change to New Zealand. A defining feature of the Harkness legacy is the expectation that learning leads to action. Fellows are selected for their ability to translate insight into change, and to apply what they learn to improve policy, practice, and system performance in the New Zealand context.

4. Activated alumni. Harkness Fellows join an enduring alumni community. The Fellowship is a lifelong connection to a network of leaders committed to ongoing exchange, mentorship, and contribution — supporting future Fellows and strengthening public leadership over time.

5. Service and contribution. At its core, the Fellowship is an act of public service. Fellows are expected to contribute their learning generously — through speaking, writing, mentoring, and leadership — in service of the public sector and the communities it exists to serve.

To be eligible, you must:

• be a New Zealand citizen who is currently residing in New Zealand.
• be a high potential senior leader in the New Zealand public sector.
• have an interest in learning from your experience in the United States and be capable of putting to effect in NZ, relevant lessons learned.
• be endorsed by your chief executive as a high-potential and influential leader.

In endorsing your application, the employing agency is seeking system prioritisation of your development and needs to commit to supporting this. This may be through provision of leave (paid or unpaid leave), coverage of insurance while travelling, and/or providing opportunities for the research or learning to be shared with other public sector leaders on your return.

The Fellowship is not intended for postgraduate or academic research.

Harkness Fellows are expected to approach the Fellowship as both a learning opportunity and a responsibility.

Applicants will need to:

• Be able to demonstrate that they have the capacity to develop as exceptional leaders of intelligence, empathy and resilience who can play a significant leadership role in New Zealand.
• Have a proposed programme which meets the vision of the Fellowship, with clearly defined learning objectives and a plan to transfer and embed learning on return.
• Be capable of sharing learning while in the United States and on return applying learning in ways that strengthen New Zealand’s public sector over time.
• Have a commitment to increasing international understanding and be a cultural ambassador for New Zealand.
• Contribute over time to the Harkness alumni community and legacy.

• The period of your award is a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 6 months with a mid-late 2026 award start date as negotiated with the Leadership Development Centre and the New Zealand Harkness Fellowships Trust;
• You must travel on a NZ passport, and United States immigration documentation must be completed from within New Zealand;
• You will be expected to take the opportunity to deliver seminars or speak with various groups as opportunities arise;
• You may be required to fulfil some Harkness media requirements and attend events before your departure for the US, during your exchange and/or on return to the NZ;
• You must provide the New Zealand Harkness Fellowships Trust with copies of any articles or research papers resulting from your Fellowship. A final report must also be completed on your return.
  

New Zealand Harkness Fellowships are intended to contribute towards travel costs (international and domestic), accommodation and per diem expenses. Additional costs in excess of NZ$60,000 must be met by the Fellow and/or their New Zealand employer.

Can I take my family?
Yes, although there is no additional funding available, and the Fellow is solely responsible for any visa and insurance processes.

Where can I go?
Fellows are expected to be based at a government agency, university, research institute or ‘think tank’ for a significant part of their stay in the US.  Applicants are asked to outline their ideas for a potential host organisation at the time of application, and any correspondence they have had with potential hosts which indicates an interest in, or openness to, hosting them.  It is also anticipated that during their time in the US, Fellows will travel outside of their ‘home base’ to other parts of the US.

How long can I stay?
New Zealand Harkness Fellowships are for study or research in the US for a minimum of three months and a maximum of six months.

Why is health care policy and practice excluded?
Health care policy and practice focused Fellowships are excluded because health-focused Harkness Fellowships are administered separately by the Commonwealth Fund, which continues to support international Fellowships specifically for health system leaders and researchers.