Innovation, transformation and resilience are at the heart of this year’s Churchill Fellowships, announced today by the Churchill Memorial Trust Board.
Established in 1965, the Churchill Trust supports New Zealanders from all walks of life to travel overseas, expand their knowledge on topics of national significance, and return with fresh ideas and inspiration to benefit their communities and Aotearoa New Zealand.
“The nine Fellowships cover a diverse range of topics — health and wellbeing innovation, economic transformation, art, culture and identity, and environment and climate resilience,” said Board Chair David Ivory. “We look forward to hearing about the valuable experiences and knowledge they’ll bring back.”
Board Member and 2018 Fellow Ian McDonald added, “As both a past recipient and now a Board Member, I can see some very valuable research will come out of these journeys, leading to exciting findings for New Zealanders.”
2026 Churchill Fellowships
Candice Apelu Mariner
Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington
to explore how Singapore and Malaysia are shifting primary care from reactive “sick care” to proactive, personalised care using Artificial Intelligence and digital tools within culturally relevant, multilingual models.
Robbie Atatoa
Kirikiriroa, Hamilton
For travel to Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom, to support identification, translation, and recreation and revitalisation of Mangaian toki (adze).
Paula Baker
Kirikiriroa Hamilton
To gather insights, understand best practices, and measure the impact of charity-owned surgical hospitals across the United Kingdom.
Jeremy Faumuina
Ōtautahi Christchurch
To explore how Spain, Japan, and Australia support high-performance athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Craig Pritchard
Kapiti
To study approaches in the United Kingdom to wildlife disease surveillance utilising citizen science and drone technology as collaborative and non-invasive wildlife health monitoring tools.
Anna Ryan
Ōtautahi Christchurch
To assess whether New Zealand’s approach to regulating competition in labour markets remains fit for purpose, in light of recent legal developments in jurisdictions such as Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Clive Somerville
Te Ōko Horoi Cambridge
To investigate how the Ruhr Valley (Germany), Basque Country (Spain), and rural Ireland have successfully regenerated under constraint, using infrastructure investment, workforce reinvention, and circular economy models.
Rebecca Styles
Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington
To research how Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States jurisdictions are addressing insurance retreat and underinsurance from increasing natural hazards driven by climate change, and what is being done to help communities mitigate and adapt.