Amohia Boulton, Gill Potaka-Osborne, and Danielle (Dani) Sword recently attended the World Indigenous Cancer Conference in Naarm (Melbourne), Victoria, Australia. The programme included a variety of presentations aligning with the conference theme of Process. Progress. Power. Attendees heard from speakers addressing both challenges and progress across the cancer continuum, from prevention and screening to survivorship and palliative care. https://www.wicc2024.com/about. The themes are outlined below:
Process: Systematic activities and actions taken to achieve the aspirations and goals of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in cancer care and control.
Progress: Growth and advancement in cancer care and control for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples.
Power: Existing power differentials and the role of self-determination in ensuring mechanisms of voice to support the needs and aspirations of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in cancer care and control.
On the morning of the conference, New Zealand participants gathered in the Fitzroy Gardens for karakia and whakawhanaungatanga. The conference started with Welcome to Country which involved a smoking ceremony, handing over of the boomerang, a dance performance by Djirri Djirri, and opening remarks by Associate Professor Kalinda Griffiths (Australia), Dr Angeline Letendre (Canada), and Ms Lea Bill (Canada).
Around 540 indigenous participants attended the conference coming from as far afield as Norway, Canada, and Aotearoa New Zealand as well as local Australian delegates. On the first day of the conference, there were two Whakauae-associated presentations under the ‘Diagnosis and Treatment’ sub-theme:
A highlight for Gill was meeting Matua Tau Huirama, an appreciative inquiry practitioner, the only person in the audience to have heard of Appreciative Inquiry and who had actively used it alongside Kaupapa Māori.
On the last day of the conference Amohia, supported by Dani, presented under the ‘Developing and supporting the indigenous workforce’ sub-theme. Her presentation entitled "Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai, nurture the seed and it will blossom: Supporting the career development of emerging Māori health scientists” spoke to how we can better support and grow indigenous scientists. Within her presentation, Amohia showcased Dani’s journey as a University of Otago PhD student at Malaghan Institute. Dani is a 2023 recipient of the Māori Cancer Research Award awarded by Te Kāhui Matepukupuku o Aotearoa (the Cancer Society of New Zealand) and Hei Āhuru Mōwai (Māori Cancer Research Leadership Aotearoa) https://www.whakauae.co.nz/latest-news/funding-awarded-to-young-researcher-merging-western-and-matauranga-maori-perspectives.
The team was lucky enough to attend the Gala Dinner which provided many networking opportunities, and they watched the presentation of the WICC Awards sponsored by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI). Professor Tom Calma, 2023 Australian of the Year and a Kungarakan Elder, gave an oration about indigenous inequities in Australia and across the globe.
Citations:
Potaka-Osborne, G., & Boulton, A. (2024). Using Indigenous power co-construct better primary care for Māori cancer patients. World Indigenous Cancer Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 18 – 20 March 2024.
Sword, D., & Boulton, A. (2024). E ara e te rā: Shedding light on a Kaupapa Māori CAR T-cell cancer therapy research journey. World Indigenous Cancer Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 18 – 20 March 2024.
Boulton, A., & Sword, D. (2024). Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai, nurture the seed and it will blossom: Supporting the career development of emerging Māori health scientists. World Indigenous Cancer Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 18 – 20 March 2024.
