Aaron Hape is a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

and in 2017 became the first person of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

descent to be invested as an Associate Fellow of the

Royal Commonwealth Society The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting conf ...

Background and education

Hape was raised in Dannevirke and undertook his early education at

Southwell School Southwell School, is an independent co-educational Anglican boarding and day school set in 32 acres of park like grounds in central Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. Southwell offers education to children aged 5 to 13 years. A numbe ...

and

Palmerston North Boys' High School Palmerston North Boys' High School is a traditional boys school located in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Location Palmerston North Boys' High School has a campus located on Featherston Street between Rangitikei and North Streets in the central ...

. He gained a Bachelor of Arts from

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well kno ...

and is an alumnus of the United States Department of State's

International Visitor Leadership Program The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is a professional exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The mission of IVLP is to offer current and emerging international leader ...

.Hatton, Emma. "Selection job of royal importance: A man who chooses who can see The Queen" Manawatu Standard, 2017-08-25, p. 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. 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. 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. Sponsored by British charities

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

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 The Commonwealth secretary-general is the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the central body which has served the Commonwealth of Nations since its establishment in 1965, and responsible for representing the Commonwealth publicly. The Commo ...

Kamalesh Sharma Kamalesh Sharma (born 30 September 1941) is an Indian diplomat. He was the fifth Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations from 2008 to 2016, having previously served as the High Commissioner for India in London. He has served as the C ...

, to serve as a Member of the Commonwealth Observer Group for the

2015 Trinidad and Tobago general election General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 7 September 2015. The date of the general elections was announced by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on 13 June 2015. The result was a victory for the opposition People's National Movem ...

. The group, led by the former

Speaker of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands The Speaker of the National Parliament is the Speaker of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands. The position was established under section 64 of the Constitution of the Solomon Islands of 1978, when the country became independent fro ...

, 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". Subsequently, Hape stated that the Commonwealth was "in urgent need of a renewed purpose". 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". In 2016, Hape raised concerns about the rule of law in the

Republic of Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

after the

Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration, abbreviated to CMAG, is a group of representatives of members of the Commonwealth of Nations that is responsible for upholding the Harare Declaration. That Declaration dictates ...

noted that the country had been failing to uphold human rights and that democratic standards were deteriorating. 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". 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". 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 Track II diplomacy or "backchannel diplomacy" is the practice of "non-governmental, informal and unofficial contacts and activities between private citizens or groups of individuals, sometimes called 'non-state actors. It contrasts with track I dip ...

programme. In 2019, he went on to found the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Community group in

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, which implements social justice projects that advance the mission of World Economic Forum.

Recognition and awards

Hape was awarded the Sir Āpirana Ngata Memorial Scholarship in 2010. In 2014, he was named as one of the inaugural recipients of the Minister for Youth Affairs Leadership Award. 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. In addition was he elected as a

and as an Associate Fellow of the

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

External links

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 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hape, Aaron Living people New Zealand Māori people Ngāti Kahungunu people Victoria University of Wellington alumni People educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School People from Dannevirke New Zealand monarchists 1991 births