Fulbright New Zealand Board

Alastair Bisley (NZ) (Chairperson of the Board)

Alastair Bisley held several senior positions in the New Zealand Public Service, including Secretary of Transport. During his many years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, he served a Deputy Secretary and New Zealand’s Principal Trade Negotiator.

Between 2009 and 2016 Alastair was Chair of the Land and Water Forum and is currently a member of the Board of the Environmental Defence Society. In 2017 Alastair was made a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order.

Professor Jennifer Curtin (NZ), University of Auckland

Jennifer Curtin is Professor of Politics and Public Policy, and the founding Director of the Public Policy Institute at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland. She was a Fulbright New Zealand Research Scholar to Georgetown University in 2012. 

Jennifer is currently a member of the Tauiwi Advisory Board of VINE (Violence Information Network, formerly the New Zealand Family Violence Clearing House) and was on the University of Auckland Council and the Board of Auckland University Press between 2020 and 2023.   

Rangi Mātāmua (Tūhoe)(NZ), Massey University

Rangi Matamua is Professor of Mātauranga Māori at Massey University and a pioneering Māori scholar who has revolutionised understandings of Māori astronomy. His research is situated at the interface between mātauranga Māori and Western science. Rangi won the 2019 Prime Minister’s Science Communication Prize and the 2020 Callaghan Medal for science communication from Royal Society Te Apārangi. 

Associate Professor Christina Riesselman (US), University of Otago

Christina Riesselman is a paleoceanographer and 20-year veteran of Antarctic research, including ten Antarctic and Southern Ocean expeditions. Christina’s research seeks to understand how the Antarctic, Southern Ocean, and mid-latitudes respond to global change, using microscopic fossils and geochemical signals in the sedimentary record and in modern environments. Originally from Montana, Christina holds a BA with honours (Geology and English; Italian minor) from the University of Nebraska, a PhD from Stanford University in Geological and Environmental Sciences, and completed a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellowship with the U.S. Geological Survey. She joined the faculty of the University of Otago in 2013, where she teaches in the departments of Geology and Marine Science. In 2015, she was named the inaugural L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science New Zealand fellow.

Professor Tracy Riley (US), Massey University

Tracy Riley is the Dean, Postgraduate Research at Massey University. Tracy is a Professor of Education who specialises in gifted and talented education. In her role as Dean, she is responsible for doctoral education, scholarships and scholar development, and ethics. Tracy currently serves on the Steering Group for New Zealand Universities Women in Leadership and the Scholarships Committee for Universities New Zealand. She is an active member of the New Zealand Deans and Directors of Graduate Schools, the Australian Council of Graduate Research, and the World Council for Gifted and Talented Education.

Melissa Sweeney (US), Consul General, U.S. Consulate General, Auckland 

Melissa Sweeney most recently served as the Deputy Director of the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Bureau’s Office of Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands. She previously served as both the Political Counselor and the Counselor for Political-Military Affairs at the U.S. Embassy Tokyo. Melissa holds a M.S. from the National Defense University’s National War College and J.D. from Indiana University. 

James Waite (NZ), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

James Waite is Divisional Manager – Americas at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. James joined the Ministry in 2005, and his overseas assignments have included Deputy Head of Mission, New Zealand Embassy, Beijing, Ambassador to Mongolia, and First Secretary (Political), Washington DC. James speaks Indonesian and holds a PhD in the History of US Foreign Relations from Ohio University, 2005.

Patrick Waite (NZ) (Treasurer)

Patrick is principal of the business advisory firm Patrick Waite & Associates. In this capacity, he has helped a number of organizations including Surf Life Saving New Zealand, Queen Elizabeth II National Trust and New Zealand Land Search & Rescue.

Patrick was a director of the Modernisation Board of New Zealand’s Public Trust before becoming its Chief Executive. He is also a past President of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountant and has held senior banking roles in New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Patrick has extensive governance experience, including with Presbyterian Support Central, Diabetes NZ, Skylight Trust, and Rotary International. He is Chair of Audit & Risk Committee, Te Tumu Paeroa, and has previously served on the Audit and Risk Committees of Parliamentary Services and NZ Treasury. In 2012 Patrick was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal.