Sir Frank Holmes Visiting Fellowship in Public Policy

Discover the Sir Frank Holmes Visiting Fellowship in Public Policy, its purpose, and how it fosters debate on major contemporary issues in New Zealand.

The Sir Frank Holmes Visiting Fellowship in Public Policy was established through an endowment set up by the children of the late Sir Frank Holmes in 2012.

The purpose of the endowment is to bring distinguished researchers and policy makers to New Zealand to contribute to public policy debate on major contemporary issues.

2026 visiting fellow

Rt Hon. Helen Clark

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Master of Public Policy (MPP), the School of Government is proud to commemorate the Sir Frank Holmes Memorial Lecture, an annual event that honours one of New Zealand’s most distinguished scholars and practitioners of public policy.

Hosted by the University, the 2026 lecture will feature a fireside conversation with the Rt Hon. Helen Clark.

Helen Clark is a respected global leader on sustainable development and international co-operation. She served three successive terms as Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1999 and 2008.

While in government, she led policy debate on a wide range of economic, social, environmental, and cultural issues, including sustainability and climate change. She was United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator for two terms from 2009 to 2017.

In 2019 she became patron of The Helen Clark Foundation. She chairs a number of international organisations, including the Board of Gavi,  and the Vaccine Alliance.

The 2026 Sir Frank Holmes Memorial Lecture in Public Policy will be held Wednesday 26 August 2026, 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm. Register here.

Previous visiting fellows

Since its inception in 2012, there have been eleven Sir Frank Holmes Visiting Fellows:

  • 2025—Dame Juliet Ann Gerrard DNZM FRSNZ. Listen to her lecture.
  • 2024—Professor Dame Anne Salmond—Professor of Māori Studies and Anthropology, and a former Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equal Opportunity) at the University of Auckland. Listen to her lecture.
  • 2022—Sir Ashley Bloomfield—Former New Zealand Director-General of Health
  • 2020—Sir David Skegg—Emeritus Professor, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago
  • 2019—Professor Robert Wade—Professor of Global Studies, London School of Economics
  • 2018—Lord Gus O’Donnell—former British Cabinet Secretary
  • 2017—Dr Alan Bollard—Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat
  • 2016—Professor Lavanya Rajamani—Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi
  • 2015—Professor Ross Garnaut—University of Melbourne
  • 2014—Professor Julia Black—London School of Economics and Political Science
  • 2013—Dan Fiorino—Director of the Center for Environmental Policy, American University School of Public Affairs
  • 2012—Professor Greg Duncan—University of California.