Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity announces group of Indigenous leaders for 2026

Cath Dunphy (Taranaki), the University of Auckland's Kaikōkiri Rautaki Māori, has been named as one of the 20 social change makers for next year's Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE). 

Her career has focused on improving outcomes for Indigenous staff and students, at all levels, and also contributes to the Indigenisation of higher education.

“I am excited to join the global community of Atlantic Fellows, and especially to deepen my understanding of how Indigenous knowledge, principles, and ways of being create positive and enduring social change," she says.

"After meeting some of the 2026 cohort online, I have been humbled and inspired by the breadth and depth of their experience and their projects. I’m looking forward to learning with them, and from them.”

The AFSE is an Indigenous-led research fellowship programme advancing social equity across Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and Pacific Island nations.

It helps those selected to build their leadership journeys, while encouraging them to share their insights with Indigenous communities and the wider Pacific region.

The programme is delivered through a long-standing partnership between the University of Melbourne and Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

The 2026 cohort includes ten Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Fellows, five Māori Fellows, and five Fellows from Pacific Island nations. Together, they’re working across a wide range of issues, including public policy, governance and criminal justice, climate change, anti-nuclear advocacy, healthcare, Treaty, arts and culture, economic empowerment, journalism and education.

This year marks the eighth year of the AFSE’s key partnership between Waipapa Taumata Rau and the University of Melbourne. AFSE is the only Indigenous-focused initiative among seven interconnected Atlantic Fellows programmes worldwide.

“AFSE builds its approach on Indigenous knowledge systems and principles to address social inequities," says former fellow and Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori Professor Te Kawehau Hoskins (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hau).

"Participants learn directly from Indigenous elders, knowledge holders, community organisers, academic experts and each other, applying these teachings to strengthen their own social change practices and projects."

The AFSE Experience unfolds in two seamlessly connected chapters, the Fellows begin at their Foundation Year, where they complete a fee-free University of Melbourne Master of Social Change Leadership.

Damien Miller (Gangulu), AFSE executive director and a former AFSE fellow says: “It’s an honour to support the social change initiatives of 20 emerging and established Indigenous leaders. During challenging times when social equity and Indigenous rights are increasingly under threat, we often witness the emergence of innovative and powerful ideas – concepts that are needed to create lasting positive change in our communities. And these are the people and ideas we back”.

Over the year, the cohort  will develop leadership capabilities, apply theoretical frameworks directly to their own social change initiative, and experience a blend of collaboration, on-country learning and experiential leadership development, through a module-based learning framework.

Pro-Vice Chancellor (Indigenous), at the University of Melbourne, Tiriki Onus, says: "AFSE nurtures Indigenous Australian, Māori and Pacific Peoples’ knowledges and leadership traditions, and we are excited to stand with this cohort as they drive meaningful change for our communities."