The Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Programme

This fellowship goes beyond a conventional academic programme. Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity is part of a game-changing global initiative that is harnessing the power of collective action and leadership to accelerate social equity.

hands of different races holding each other

About the programme  

As a proud partner of the Atlantic Fellows Social Equity (AFSE) programme, the University of Auckland is working closely with the host institution (the University of Melbourne) and other trans-Tasman partners to advance Indigenous communities through more equitable social outcomes.

Ambition is high, with a view to achieving social equity globally for all. The programme builds on the strengths of Indigenous knowledge, recognising the inherent strengths of Indigenous people as a community, both globally and domestically. 

The AFSE programme is a 12-month intensive course, with significant study and time commitments. It is open for Australian and New Zealand applicants and requires a strong commitment from the individual, and their employers, to dedicate to the course for maximum impact.

Applicants are required to enrol in a graduate qualification in Social Change Leadership through the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

2022 Fellows are now being sought: you should be mid-career, with experience in their chosen field or sector, and seeking to accelerate their impact for social change.

What you will gain from the programme 

Successful applicants to the programme become Fellows, undertaking an intensive 12-month study period to progress their social change project, with a formal qualification on completion. 

As well as this qualification, a key focus of the programme will be developing individual talents and their international networks to support leadership as a change maker.

Successful applicants will be welcomed into a global network of fellows, have accelerated career and leadership opportunities, the ongoing support of lifelong Senior Fellowship networks, and a philanthropic base. They will also be given a generous stipend for their work.

NZ-based team

If you have questions about the application process please contact Associate Professor Melinda Webber and Associate Professor Te Kawehau Hoskins for more information.

At the centre of this program is a commitment to Indigenous knowledges to create lasting social change. Without this approach, the challenges to Indigenous inequity will remain piecemeal and solutions will likely falter.

- Elizabeth McKinley, Executive Director, Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity

Evie O’Brien (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāti Pikiao Ranginui), AFSE Senior Fellow 2018, Atlantic Institute Senior Director.

Evie talks about the new form of leadership that the AFSE Fellowship programme encourages and its diverse and growing global community of Senior Fellows. 

Evie O’Brien (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāti Pikiao Ranginui), discusses the amazing opportunity the AFSE Fellowship programme offers to those interested in social change and innovation, giving several examples of what AFSE Fellows achieved through undertaking the programme. 

Associate Professors Te Kawehau Hoskins, Ngāti Hau, Ngāpuhi, (Te Puna Wānanga, School of Māori and Indigenous Education, new Ihonuku at the University of Auckland) and Melinda Webber, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whakaue, (Faculty of Education and Social Work) discuss the AFSE Fellowship hosted at Melbourne University in partnership with the University of Auckland.

Indigenous knowledge and ways of being are critical to the design, delivery and outcomes of the programme.

Tania Pouwhare (Ngāi Tuhoe) AFSE Senior Fellow, 2019 Cohort, Manager, Community and Social Innovation, The Southern Initiative.

Tania talks about the impact the AFSE Fellowship programme had on her, saying it has given her the knowledge, support and motivation to innovate and experiment with radical solutions to some of the country's most pressing socio-economic challenges. 

Huti Watson (Ngāti Porou, Tainui), AFSE Senior Fellow, Cohort 2019. Huti is a consultant with a broad range of knowledge across health, research,consulting, and economic development. Huti is passionate about the wellbeing of her tribe and committed to ensuring that the next generation lives longer and
better than the last.

She discusses how the AFSE Fellowship programme encouraged her to address health and equity issues by using cultural frameworks.  

Huti Watson (Ngāti Porou, Tainui) is a consultant with a broad range of knowledge across health, research, consulting, and economic development.

She discusses her tribal organisation Ngāti Pouro Hauora’s programme Te Hiringa Matoua, which trains its Mataora (health workers) in the Korero Purakau (creation stories), a cultural framework with values underpinning it, used in working with its people.