10 Oct 2017: IAA representatives and other delegates from Australia were privileged to join leading academics and business people at the inaugural AFOA Canada International Conference held on 2-5 October in Vancouver.
The conference attracted more than 1,000 First Nations finance, management and leadership professionals from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA and South America.
One of the aims of the conference is to build sustainable communities by strengthening international networks. It achieved this through a series of formal presentations, plenary sessions, panel discussions and workshops as well as cultural exchange, informal gatherings and networking events.
The conference covered some very strong themes including:
- Human Capacity Building: how organisations are investing in the future and unleashing Indigenous potential in the accounting and business space
- Governance: peeling back the Governance Onion with a focus on community governance, finance/wealth management and the importance of Economic/Social/Cultural/Environmental integrated programs and reporting; and
- Economic and Social advancement: how to connect strategy to economic development and achieve them in unison
The panel on Human Capacity Building gets underway
IAA Project Director Mark Jones and IAA Relationship Manager Richard Hurst were among those who attended. Mark said that,”One of the great learnings that came out of the conference was that in all parts of the world Indigenous economies are outperforming the non-indigenous economies and that there is a ‘sweet spot’ for economic, cultural and social advancement over the next two to three decades.
“Another highlight was a session where four Former National Chiefs discussed a theme called ‘The Mighty Flowering Tree – The Next 150 years charting the future by learning from the past.’ It is remarkable how similar our indigenous pasts have been since either colonisation or invasion no matter where in the world it happened and even though the futures bright there is still much to achieve, change and fight for before true equality and reconciliation can be attained.”
Richard said, “one of the most impressive sessions was the Youth Awards. We heard from young high school graduates and recipients of Canada’s Aboriginal Youth Financial Management Awards. One of the award recipients and speakers was Robert Montague, a 17 year old high school graduate and resident of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation in Ontario. He spoke eloquently about life on the reserves and how he saw a career in business and finance as a way to help alleviate some of the inequality First Nations people suffer in Canada. His speech very much resonated with the Australian experience.”
Left to right: Lisa Mooney from Potash Corp with Award winners Amelia Boissoneau, Robert Montague & Brianna Francis and Terry Goodtrack, President & CEO of AFOA Canada
Mark and Richard Hurst also gave a presentation on the potential of the ‘sleeping giant’ of the Indigenous economy in Australia and the need to equip Indigenous Australians with financial knowhow.
“The delegates who attended were supportive and interested in the topic” said Richard. “It generated a general discussion amongst the delegates as they reflected on their own situation and the similarities and differences between the respective first nation groups.
“The conference was a great way to connect with like-minded people from other nations. While each group of first nation peoples has its own unique situation and perspective, there are plenty of areas where our experiences overlap and we can educate and learn from each other. The experience was invaluable.” added Richard.
The second international conference will be held in 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The handover was completed by way of a haka from New Zealand delegation.
IAA’s Richard Hurst speaks at the conference opening