Deadline: April 21, 2026
Applications are open for the Ian Axford Fellowships in Public Policy Programme 2027. The mission of the Ian Axford Fellowships in Public Policy programme is to increase mutual understanding between the United States and New Zealand. Axford Fellows are expected to understand and support this mission. To support this understanding, Fellows are required to attend an orientation programme held each February in Wellington.
The Fellowship is interested in candidates who can contribute to contemporary policy priorities in New Zealand. Fellowships can be between three to five months in duration. Applicants should discuss a timeline preference with their potential host agency, but the Axford board will decide what length Fellowship they decide to offer selected Fellows.
Benefits
The entitlements include:
- Returns airfares to New Zealand.
- A stipend of:
- Fellows on paid leave with full salary will receive a living allowance of NZ$1,500 per month on top of their salaries.
- Those on paid leave with partial salary will receive an allowance of NZ$2,500 per month on top of their salaries.
- Those unable to obtain paid leave from their US employer will receive an allowance of NZ$5,000 per month.
- Fellows with dependents (regardless of how many) will receive a dependent allowance NZ$500 per month. Additionally, a maximum contribution of NZ$3,000 will be contributed towards dependents flights.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must:
- Be a US citizen with at least five years’ experience in your profession.
- Be a mid-career professional active in any part of the public, business or non-profit sector.
- Be a potential leader and opinion-former in your chosen field.
- Have an interest in learning from your experience in New Zealand and capable of putting to effective use in the US, any policy lessons learned.
Application
- You must complete and submit the application form by the application deadline. A strong application is one where candidates show that their proposed project will inform policy in New Zealand and the United States and contribute something of value to their policy field.
- You must also submit all required support documents by the application deadline.
- You must arrange for three references to be submitted by the application deadline, in the format outlined in the Guide for Referees document.
For more information, visit Ian Axford Fellowships.
