We live in an age of accelerating complexity. The world is much less predictable than it used to be. We need leaders who understand the nature of the economic, technological, social and environmental forces that are reshaping our world.
Public sector leaders who can help governments grapple with the implications and develop responses for these shaping forces across the spectrum of public policy and administration are more important than ever.
That’s why the New Zealand Harkness Fellowships Trust is this year looking for applications from emerging New Zealand leaders who are keen to explore how public sector organisations can respond to and harness these changes within our society and the way we interact.
The Fellowship is available to mid-career professionals in any field of study or vocation (excluding health care policy and practice) to study or research in the United States for between eight and twelve weeks. One New Zealand Harkness Fellowship worth NZ$30,000 will be offered in 2019 (for travel in 2020), to a person who is currently employed in a public sector organisation* in New Zealand.
You could be looking at what the rise of social media means for free speech, how to build more inclusive communities, or the human rights implications of poverty and climate change. The common theme to the work of our past Harkness Fellows is that they have returned from the US with ideas, knowledge and contacts to apply here to make sure we have a world-class public sector capable of responding to emerging challenges and opportunities.
* This includes the State Services, tertiary education institutions, State-Owned Enterprises and Crown companies, agencies that operate as part of the Legislative Branch of Government, and local government.
Closing date: 15 October annually
The New Zealand Harkness Fellowships were established in 2009 by the New Zealand Harkness Fellowships Trust Board to reinforce links between New Zealand and the US and to enable emerging leaders in the public sector to benefit from study and travel in the US.
Their purpose is to enable appointed Fellows to gain first-hand knowledge and build contacts in their chosen field of endeavour that will be highly relevant to the NZ context and future NZ/US links. The Trust Board work in partnership with the Leadership Development Centre, a business unit within the State Services Commission that is the primary delivery vehicle for leadership development within government.
The programme has four goals:
– Support emerging leaders seeking to better understand public policy innovations in their chosen topic area so they can help build a better public sector.
– 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;
– 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.
