The Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka - University of Otago Arts Fellows have been selected for 2026

By Division of Humanities, University of Otago | Posted: Thursday Oct 09, 2025

Rachel O’Neill will take up the Robert Burns Fellowship and Jeremy Beck (Ngāi Tahu) will take up the Caroline Plummer Fellowship in Community Dance.

We are thrilled Rachel and Jeremy will be on campus in 2026, pursuing their creative projects and enriching our community.

Poet, film maker, and artist Rachel will be joining us from Te Whanganui-a-Tara. An author of three published books, with numerous other projects in development. She says this fellowship is an incredible opportunity and dream come true.

“I have a background in visual art, filmmaking and more recently music, and I’m really excited about potential synergies with local creatives and like-minded collaborators,” Rachel says.

Jeremy is grateful for the opportunity to add to the rich contemporary dance history of Ōtepoti, including the legacy of this Caroline Plummer Fellowship. He will be drawing on more than a decade of professional experience within the Australian and Aotearoa dance industry for his multi-faceted, community-focused contemporary dance programme.

“To be able to do this work in my hometown feels incredibly meaningful – it’s not just a personal milestone, but a chance to deeply share, exchange, and grow alongside my family, friends and the Dunedin dance community,” Jeremy says.

Read more about this dynamic duo: Ōtepoti inspiration for Arts Fellows | University of Otago