Securing authentic Indigenous Summit Engagement is critical

BREAKING NEWS:  Monday 11 April

We are delighted that Debbie Barwick and Alice Beilby have agreed to join the Summit Steering Committee. This provides a strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island voice in the Summit programme discussions. It supports our vision for  transparent and impactful  indigenous engagement in October. More later.

Securing authentic Indigenous Engagement is a critical metric for the 2035 Oceania Summit.

Indigenous engagement will not be in the form of a token breakout session. It’s a theme that will be embedded across the entire Summit programme.

Much of the advocacy will be provided by two of the Summit steering committee members, Traci Houpapa and Guy Royal. We are looking to leverage existing relationships such as the Aboriginal Torres Strait Island - NZ Māori partnership that recognises indigenous First Nations people, as well as  the work being undertaken by the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum’s (ANZLF) Indigenous Business Sector Group.

At last month’s ANZLF Indigenous Business Group meeting, representatives from both Māori and Aboriginal organisations discussed the opportunity. Working with indigenous communities, by harnessing the power of traditional knowledge, science and technology, is key input into the Summit. As climate change increases its impact on many aspects of the region’s ability to manage growing systems, understanding that traditional knowledge becomes ever more important.

This conversation is not isolated to our geography. Over the past 3 months, we have been talking to Conservation International, a global non-profit, who are looking at the opportunity to design a compelling Indigenous innovation and investment engagement as part of the Summit.

There is much to learn. Over the coming months, we will be building this content across our programme.

For future updates, please check out the News Section, as further developments are released.