Up to two New Zealand Harkness Fellowships worth up to NZ$60,000 are being offered in 2026 (for travel in mid-late 2026), to people who are currently employed in the New Zealand Public Sector.  The length and total value of the Fellowship will be determined by the Leadership Development Centre and the New Zealand Harkness Fellowships Trust, in conjunction with the successful applicant.

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Purpose and Legacy

The New Zealand Harkness Fellowships are general-purpose leadership Fellowships, grounded in an international tradition of public service, international exchange, and the practical application of ideas for the public good.

First established in 1925 by the Commonwealth Fund, the Harkness Fellowships created a global model for immersive international learning and leadership development. In 2009, a general-purpose New Zealand Harkness Fellowship was established by a group of New Zealand Harkness alumni, in partnership with the New Zealand Government, following the Commonwealth Fund’s decision to refocus its Harkness Fellowships exclusively on health care policy and practice. This ensured that the life-changing Fellowship opportunity remained available to the wider New Zealand public service, enabling senior leaders beyond the health sector to access the Harkness experience and apply it to the most pressing social, economic, and policy challenges facing Aotearoa New Zealand.

Since then, the New Zealand Harkness Fellowships have supported high-potential public-sector leaders to spend three to six 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.

The programme has four goals:

• Reinforce New Zealand-United States links by enabling actual or potential leaders and opinion formers in New Zealand to benefit from new ideas, practices and new contacts in the US;
• Increase the Fellow’s ability to bring about change and improvements in New Zealand;
• Help improve the cross-fertilisation of ideas and experience between New Zealand and the United States; and
• Build a leadership network on both sides of the Pacific, encourage ongoing exchange between New Zealand and the United States and establish enduring relationships offering reciprocal benefits to both countries.

As part of your fellowship proposal, you will need to;

• State the objectives and methodology of your proposed project.
• Describe the significance of your project for your field in both the US and New Zealand.
• Outline your ideas for how your experiences in the US will be communicated and applied to the New Zealand context to effect a particular outcome(s).
• Demonstrate a track record of learning and growth in characteristics representative of the future leadership that the New Zealand Public Sector needs.
• Provide evidence of a planned and purposeful approach to the Fellowship.

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.

Entitlement

Up to two fellowships valued at up to NZ$60,000 each will be offered in 2026 (for an award start date in mid-late 2026). 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 their New Zealand employer.

2025 fellow: Jacob (Hākopa) Ashdown

2024 fellow: Sarah Box

2023 fellow: Aimee Hadrup and Jym Clark

2016 fellow: Aphra Green