Refreshed NZ Harkness Fellowships Resume After Three Years Of Covid Disruption

After a three-year hiatus caused by the covid-19 pandemic, the relaunched NZ
Harkness Fellowships programme is back in business.

The NZ Harkness Fellowship Trust has appointed the first two Fellows to travel to the US
under its new relationship with the Leadership Development Centre of Te Kawa Mataaho -
Public Service Commission.

Jym Clark, a senior policy analyst at the Ministry for the Environment, will be based in
Albuquerque at the University of New Mexico’s Indigenous Planning and Design Institute.
His project combines climate change adaptation policy and urban planning that takes account of indigenous and other ethnic communities’ approaches and needs.

Aimee Hadrup, Manager - Tamariki Wellbeing at The Southern Initiative based at Auckland Council, will visit the renowned Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University to understand how it is enabling public sector leaders to act on the Center’s world-leading research.

The Harkness Fellowships are offered to emerging public sector leaders to enable them to visit world class institutions in the US to gain insights that can be applied to public sector initiatives in Aotearoa. The Fellowships were relaunched last year with a refreshed focus on identifying and developing emerging future leaders in the public service. The Harkness Fellowships Trust offered two fellowships in 2023 valued at $60,000 each.

Climate-resilient development

Jym Clark will research urban development in the face of climate adaptation, with the aim of keeping people out of harm’s way while enabling development in safe and resilient urban areas.

“New Mexico is on the front line of climate change with recent severe flooding and wildfire,” says Jym.

“The lessons learned in New Mexico and other parts of the US can help inform our new
resource management system here in Aotearoa.”

Jym will be joined by his partner Biddy Livesey and daughter on the four month fellowship in late 2023.

The first 1,000 days

Aimee Hadrup will research and develop case studies of innovative place-based initiatives underway in the US to help inform thinking around how our public service can better support communities to lead their own wellbeing responses.

“Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child’s research has clearly demonstrated one of the most important things any government can do to disrupt inequity and intergenerational disadvantage, is to better support whānau in the critical first 1000 days of a child’s life. I’m interested in understanding how we can work across agencies and power up communities to lead the way,” says Aimee.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be awarded a prestigious Harkness Fellowship - it really is a
dream come true,” adds Aimee, who will also be accompanied by her family during the
fellowship.

The 2023 Harkness fellowships represent a new chapter for the Harkness Fellowships Trust, with a new partnership with Te Kawa Mataaho - Public Service Commission and fellowships of greater value and longer duration.

“We really wanted to attract the very best of the public sector’s emerging leaders and give them a greater opportunity to pursue their research interests,” says Pattrick Smellie, Chair of the Harkness Fellowships Trust.

“It’s great to be back in business after being unable to send fellows to the US for three years.
We have big plans for the future and these fellowships represent a rare opportunity for the future leaders of the public sector,” adds Pattrick.

About the Harkness Fellowships Trust
www.harkness.org.nz

The Harkness Fellowships programme has over the last sixty years enabled mid-career
professionals who aspire to significant leadership roles within New Zealand, particularly in but not limited to the public sector, to benefit from new ideas, practices and contacts in the United States.

The Fellowship programme in New Zealand has supported over 120 talented people to
pursue study and research programmes in the US. Many have gone on to become leaders in their profession and to make outstanding contributions to science and technology, health care and education, economics and public sector leadership.
Past fellows include scientist Professor Sir Richard Faull, former Director General of Health Dr Karen Poutasi, businessman Sir Hugh Fletcher and Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes.

The NZ Harkness Fellowships are distinct from the Harkness Fellowships in Healthcare
Policy and Practice that are administered by the Commonwealth Fund of New York.

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