Winston Churchill Fellowship recipient James Teh
Congratulations to James Teh, Executive Project Manager in Lands and Planning, who has been announced as a recipient of a Winston Churchill Fellowship. James is one of 75 recipients selected from over 1,000 applicants across the country.
In mid-2027, he will travel across New Zealand, Canada, the United States and Norway to investigate international models of early collaboration in land development.
Paul McLaughlin, Media Manager, caught up with James to chat about his upcoming fellowship. To find out more about James’ topic, go to the Winston Churchill Trust website.
A conversation with James Teh
Do you want to start by telling us what the Churchill Fellowship is?
It is awarded by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, which funds overseas research for Australians wanting to investigate international best practices in their chosen field. The goal is to bring that knowledge back home for the benefit of our local communities and Australia.
What was your reaction when you found out you were a recipient of the Churchill Fellowship?
I was delighted, knowing how competitive the national selection process was. At the same time, I also felt the responsibility to bring practical insights back home and ensure my Fellowship delivers meaningful impact and public value to the Territory.
This Fellowship represents the work, leadership and encouragement of many people and communities whom I’ve had the honour of learning from and working alongside. I hope to build upon their lessons and experience, and share what I have learnt with colleagues in DLPE.
You started as a mediator working alongside Warlpiri leaders in Yuendumu before moving into the NT Government. What did this experience teach you?
What many people tell me upfront is ‘making us talk is a waste of time and nothing will ever change’. From my experience, I found that if you prepare properly and create a safe space where people genuinely listen, the dynamic changes. Practical options are generated that neither party believed were possible at the start.
Is there a risk that early collaboration just adds another layer of red tape and slows down approvals?
The jurisdictions I am visiting claim the opposite – that sorting out issues up front and collaboratively produces higher quality and better targeted proposals, and reduces timeframes during statutory assessment. I am keen to learn how they have reached this point – their successes, aspects that did not work out, and key lessons.
What specific models will you be looking at?
I'm focusing on jurisdictions where First Nations organisations set their agenda and drive discussions with industry, and where public or non-government bodies act as trusted and neutral facilitators from the earliest stages. I also want to explore initiatives that were initially not successful, and understand what was learned from those challenges.
What do you hope your Fellowship delivers for the NT?
A practical framework that helps our planning and development system achieve more timely and higher quality land development outcomes. My goal is to return with insights that enable government, industry and communities to work together collaboratively, and transform diverse perspectives into land development outcomes that improve our collective well-being, prosperity and connections.
