Aaron Hape

Aaron Hape is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and in 2017 became the first person of Māori descent to be invested as an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society.

Aaron Hape

FRSA
NationalityNew Zealand
EducationVictoria University of Wellington
Palmerston North Boys' High School
Southwell School
RelativesFrank Barclay (great-grandfather)
Wattie Barclay (grand-uncle)
AwardsFellow, Royal Society of Arts
Associate Fellow, Royal Commonwealth Society
New Zealander of the Year Local Hero Medal
Sir Apirana Ngata Memorial Scholarship

Background and education

Hape was raised in Dannevirke and undertook his early education at Southwell School, Hillcrest School, and Palmerston North Boys' High School. He gained a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University of Wellington and is an alumnus of the United States Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program.[1][2][3]

Hape's great-grandfather is New Zealand rugby league footballer Frank Barclay and his grand-uncle is New Zealand Māori Rugby Team captain and military officer Wattie Barclay.

He is a supporter of constitutional monarchy in New Zealand and is an ambassador for the New Zealand Women's Refuge.[4][5] Hape is affiliated with the iwi Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua.

International work

The Commonwealth

Hape is the founder of Commonwealth Youth New Zealand.[6][7] From 2014 to 2017 he served as the organisation's inaugural executive director. During his tenure, Hape was appointed as a Member of the Advisory Panel for the Queen's Young Leader Award.[4][8][9] Sponsored by British charities Comic Relief and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, the programme recognised leadership skills by young persons aged between 19 and 29 years old who were citizens of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Hape was appointed by the then-Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, to serve as a Member of the Commonwealth Observer Group for the 2015 Trinidad and Tobago general election.[10] The group, led by the former Speaker of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands, Sir Paul Tovua, found that the election met the Commonwealth's standards for democratic elections and stated that it was conducted in a "credible and transparent manner".[11]

Subsequently, Hape stated that the Commonwealth was "in urgent need of a renewed purpose".[12] In the lead-up to the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting he publicly called on delegates to consider selecting a Secretary-General who could bring a broader range of experience than he claimed that previous office holders held and maintained that the new leader would have to "unify the leadership and aspirations of Commonwealth societies and groups behind the work of the Secretariat".[9]

In 2016, Hape raised concerns about the rule of law in the Republic of Maldives after the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group noted that the country had been failing to uphold human rights and that democratic standards were deteriorating.[13] In response to the arrest of the then-opposition leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla, he argued that the government of the Maldives "reacted with a show of force rather than take steps to rectify these very serious issues with the rule of law and transparency".[14][15] The country withdrew its membership of the Commonwealth in October 2016 and rejoined in February 2020.

Non-state diplomacy

In August 2016, Hape was selected to join the inaugural Timor Leste-New Zealand Dialogue - known as the "Timor Talks".[16] The dialogue aimed to build cultural and diplomatic ties between the two countries and built on the Asia New Zealand Foundation's existing Track II diplomacy programme. In 2019, he went on to found the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Community group in Wellington, New Zealand, which implements social justice projects that advance the mission of World Economic Forum.[3]

Recognition and awards

Hape was awarded the Sir Apirana Ngata Memorial Scholarship in 2010.[17] In 2014, he was named as one of the inaugural recipients of the Minister for Youth Affairs Leadership Award.[17]

In recognition of his work in the Commonwealth he was awarded a New Zealander of the Year Local Hero Medal and was named as a finalist for the Young Wellingtonian of the Year Award in 2015.[18][19][20] In addition was he elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and as an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society in 2017.

Bibliography
  • Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. (2019). Advancing an Open, Reliable and Secure Digital Economy - A Multi-Regional Project. United States Department of State.
  • Baker, Juno (ed.) (2017). A Year of Leading Change. University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education.
  • Commonwealth Governance and Peace Directorate (2015). Report of the Commonwealth Observer Group for the 2015 Trinidad and Tobago Parliamentary Elections. Commonwealth Secretariat.
  • The Queen's Young Leaders Award. (2015). A Report on Progress 2012 - 2014. The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust.
  • Browne, Richard. (ed.). (2010). The Palmerstonian (Vol. 104). Palmerston North Boys’ High School.
  • Browne, Richard. (ed.). (2009). The Palmerstonian (Vol. 23). Palmerston North Boys’ High School.

References
  1. Hatton, Emma. "Selection job of royal importance: A man who chooses who can see The Queen" Manawatu Standard, 2017-08-25, p. 3
  2. "Victoria student steps up to youth leadership role". www.wgtn.ac.nz. Victoria University of Wellington. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  3. "IVLP Alumni Spotlight: Promoting the digital economy through collaboration". The Lead - Meridian International Center. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  4. Watson, Aaron, ed. (2021). Boardroom - Quarterly magazine of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand. Institute of Directors in New Zealand. pp. 50–52. ISSN 0113-3004.
  5. "Hutt Valley Women's Refuge | Our People". Hutt Valley Women's Refuge. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  6. "General Debate". New Zealand Parliamentary Debates. 700: 19681. 30 July 2014.
  7. "Backbench Business - Commonwealth Day". House of Commons Debates. 594: Column 416WH. 24 March 2015.
  8. "The Queen's Young Leaders - The Prince of Wales's Charitable Foundation". 23 April 2018. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  9. Greengrass, Hilary (ed.). "Inspiring change, creating a legacy" (PDF). Commonwealth Voices: 14.
  10. "Commonwealth to observe Trinidad and Tobago elections". The Commonwealth. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  11. "Commonwealth releases observer report on Trinidad and Tobago's 2015 elections". The Commonwealth. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  12. Greengrass, Hilary, ed. (1 September 2015). "Reforming the Commonwealth" (PDF). Commonwealth Voices: 5.
  13. "Concerns of corruption as Maldives leaves Commonwealth". Newshub. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  14. "Maldives opposition leader jailed for 12 years for role in protests". Reuters. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  15. "CYNZ concerned by Maldives decision to leave The Commonwealth". Commonwealth Youth New Zealand. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  16. "Talks to strengthen ties between NZ and Timor-Leste". Asia New Zealand Foundation. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  17. "Top young leaders join Asia NZ Leadership Network". Asia New Zealand Foundation. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  18. "The youth who are making a difference". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  19. "2015 Wellingtonian of the Year Award Finalists". Wellingtonian of the Year Awards. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  20. "New Zealander of the Year Local Heroes". The Dominion Post. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2022 – via www.pressreader.com.
  • Profile on the World Economic Forum website
  • Profile on Women's Refuge website
  • Profile on the New Zealand Caribbean Council website
  • Profile on the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education website
  • Profile on the Advertising Standards Authority website
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