Every year, the programme exchanges talented individuals from Aotearoa and the United States to conduct research and study.
Professor Sarah Goff joins Te Herenga Waka from Amherst, Massachusetts. Bringing her expertise as a Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Sarah will research healthcare equity.
Miah Clark from Iowa City will pursue a Master of Indigenous Studies with a Pasifika focus. Miah graduated with a BA in English from the University of Iowa in 2023, and an MLIS from the University of Iowa in 2024.
Travis Richardson, from Peachtree City, Georgia, will research the effects of whakamā in shaping the experiences of non-Māori learners and speakers of te reo Māori. Travis is a PhD candidate in sociolinguistics at Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sarah, Miah, and Travis to our University. Their research and areas of study are almost perfectly aligned with the whakapapa, knowledge, and sense of place of Te Herenga Waka, especially at this point in time when these global connections are more important than ever. As a university committed to being a thought leader, we look forward to the ways in which these talented individuals will inspire new ideas, spark conversations, and contribute to our unique academic and cultural environment,” says Provost Professor Bryony James.
Penelope Borland, Executive Director of Fulbright New Zealand shared this sentiment when announcing the 2025 cohort, “I am always stunned by the range of backgrounds and disciplines those grantees represent. And this year is no exception.”
Established in 1946, the Fulbright Programme is one of the largest and most significant educational exchange programs in the world. Fulbright has also taken a number of staff and postgraduate students from Te Herenga Waka to the US, such as lecturer Annie Te One (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Mutunga), senior lecturer Jesse Pirini, and alumni, journalist Pete Mckenzie, musician and event producer Leah Thomas, and art historian Lachlan Taylor.