Travel and Learning Award for Natasha Lewis
Borrin Foundation Travel and Learning Award
Natasha’s plan
Natasha will attend the Global Ageing Conference 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland, on 7-8 September, organised by the Global Ageing Association, preceded by a Social Care Workforce Symposium on 6 September. The following week she will attend the Aging and Social Change: Thirteenth Interdisciplinary Conference in Ancona, Italy, on 14-15 September. She will also meet with UK stakeholders in London and Glasgow and UN stakeholders in Rome. As Principal Policy Advisor to the inaugural New Zealand Aged Care Commissioner, Natasha will learn from UK, European and global stakeholders on approaches to ageing well and apply these lessons in Aotearoa. Natasha will share lessons on health and disability care across HDC, and strengthen relationships with New Zealand policy stakeholders, especially community groups like Age Concern. As a human rights law and policy professional, Natasha seeks to: deepen my understanding of ageing policy (especially on health system and social reforms); connect with policy practitioners from similar jurisdictions to New Zealand (England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Scotland), and with UN/ international researchers (in Italy). She will foster new relationships and deepen her policy knowledge of ageing issues, to hopefully influence better health and disability care for older people in Aotearoa.
About Natasha
Natasha has a Bachelor of Arts (English/Politics) and Law (Hons) from the University of Auckland, a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts in Politics (Dist) from Massey University, and a Master of Laws (Dist) from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She is Principal Policy Advisor to the inaugural Aged Care Commissioner for Aotearoa, and previously had senior policy roles at the Human Rights Commission Te Kāhui Tika Tangata and the Ministry for Women Manatū Wāhine.
Working on issues of human rights, gender equity and inclusion are at the heart of Natasha’s career. She has also worked at UN Women, the UN Agency for gender equality, in New York and Bangkok, and more recently at CARE International UK, a humanitarian charity, in London. More recently, She has advocated for policies to improve the wellbeing of older people in Aotearoa. As Principal Policy Advisor Aged Care, she hopes to better understand what ageing well looks like at a time of healthcare reforms in Aotearoa, to advocate for quality health and disability care for older people. Natasha has served on charity boards including ChildFund New Zealand and UN Women Aotearoa NZ, and volunteered for organisations like Amnesty International, and women’s refuge organisations.
Grant Amount
$7,685 in 2023 to support travel
“Attending these important conferences on ageing and social change in Europe will help me shape the policy agenda of the Aged Care Commissioner and support the mahi of my team in advocating for the wellbeing of older people in Aotearoa.”