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The Indigenous Governance Awards share the success of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations from around Australia...
The Indigenous Governance Awards share the success of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations from around Australia...
This resource provides a checklist of principles for effective governance (pdf, 139kb) Review the questions and answer them honestly based on your knowledge and experience with your organisation’s governance...
Culture is the collective beliefs, values, rules and customs that inform a group’s way of life This factsheet offers an overview of Your culture For more in-depth knowledge, explore the additional resources in...
Governance gives an organisation, community or nation the ways and means to achieve the things that matter to them It’s about how groups work together to achieve shared goals This factsheet offers an overview o...
Building or rebuilding governance is about selecting a governance model that suits your group’s unique purpose It involves making decisions about whether to incorporate and coming up with a set of strong and cul...
Whether your group is formal or informal, incorporated, or unincorporated, at its core are people These include directors, managers and staff members who each take on different governing roles and responsibilities...
Leadership is the art of motivating people towards a common goal or to ‘get things done’ It’s also about providing guidance and direction This factsheet offers an overview of Leadership For more in-depth kno...
Women play an important role in strengthening their families and groups Harnessing their skills, cultural knowledge and experience makes governance healthier and stronger This factsheet offers an overview of First...
Systems and plans are what help your everyday governance be most effective Think about how you can set up strong policies and procedures in key areas of governance, including communication, meetings and decision-m...
Effective financial management is a critical foundation for managing your resources wisely It can promote economic development and self-determination for your group This factsheet offers an overview of Financial m...
Other Resources
Find a selection of credible academic articles, reports, papers and websites covering various aspects of Indigenous governance.
Australia
Articles and reports
‘Two Ways’: Bringing Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Knowledges Together – Samantha Muller (2012)
‘Wearing two hats’: the conflicting governance roles of native title corporations and community/shire councils in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – Tran Tran and Claire Stacey (2016)
Another way: the intersection between first nations peoples’ ways of thinking and governance, accounting and accountability – Prof James Guthrie AM, Prof John Dumay, Dr Alessandro Pelizzon and Dr Ann Martin-Sardesai (2022)
Are we mates yet? Agreement making between States and First Nations – Tony Dreise and Aboriginal Affairs NSW (2019)
Building Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance: report of a forum to map current and future research and practical resource needs – Toni Bauman, Dr Diane E. Smith, Robynne Quiggin, Dr Christiane Keller and Lara Drieberg (2015)
Capacity development for Indigenous governance: Emerging issues and lessons from the Indigenous Community Governance Project (ICGP) – Diane Smith (2005)
Data sovereignty for the Yawuru in Western Australia – Mandy Yap and Eunice Yu (2016)
Enabling prosperity: success factors for Indigenous economic development – Westpac Group (2014)
Experiences in the development and implementation of regional governance models: Report to the Indigenous Implementation Board Department of Indigenous Affairs Government of Western Australia – Steve Fisher (2009)
Governance for sustainable development: Strategic issues and principles for Indigenous Australian communities – Mick Dodson and Diane Smith (2003)
Indigenous Governance: The Harvard Project on Native American Economic Development and appropriate principles of governance for Aboriginal Australia – Patrick Sullivan (2006)
Indigenous Nation Building and the Political Determinants of Health and Wellbeing Discussion Paper – Daryle Rigney, Simone Bignall, Alison Vivian and Steve Hemming (2022)
Websites
Not-for-Profit Governance Principles – Australian Institute of Company Directors
New Zealand
Articles and reports
Māori data sovereignty: contributions to data cultures in the government sector in New Zealand – Spencer Lilley, Gillian Oliver, Jocelyn Cranefield, and Matthew Lewellen (2024)
Maori Leadership and Decision Making – Chellie Spiller, Rachel Wolfgramm, Ella Henry, Robert Pouwhare (2020)
Website
Governance –Te Puni Kōkiri, Ministry of Māori Development
Research & Publications – Māori and Indigenous Governance Centre, Te Piringa: University of Waikato
Resource Hub – Community Governance NZ
Resources – Te Mana Raraunga, Māori Data Sovereignty Network
USA
Articles and reports
Indigenous Data Governance: Strategies from United States Native Nations – Stephanie Russo Carroll, Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear and Andrew Martinez (2019)
Indigenous Peoples and research: self-determination in research governance – Garba et al (2023)
Websites
Indigenous Governance Database – Native Nations Institute, The University of Arizona
Canada
Articles and reports
Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction by First Nations in BC (2023-2030) – BC Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) (2023)
Closing the well-being gap through improved First Nation governance – John Graham (2015)
Indigenous Governance: Questioning the Status and the Possibilities for Reconciliation with Canada’s Commitment to Aboriginal and Treaty Rights – Kiera Ladner (2006)
Transformational Governance: Challenges and Opportunities – The Transitional Governance Project (2017)
Websites
Governance Toolkit: A guide to Nation Building – British Columbia Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN)
Tools and Resources – Centre for First Nations Governance
International
Articles and reports
Governance and economic development: changes and challenges – Kuotsai Tom Liou (2007)
Processes of Native Nationhood: The Indigenous Politics of Self-Government – Stephen Cornell (2015)
Rights of the Indigenous Peoples to Self- Government: A Comparative Analysis between New Zealand and Canada – Hind Sebar and Rohaidah Nordin (2020)
Books
Indigenous data sovereignty and policy – Edited by Maggie Walter, Tahu Kukutai, Stephanie Russo Carroll, and Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear (2021)
AIGI developed resources
Articles and reports
A Comparative Research Analyses: Final Project Report – Indigenous Governance of Development: Self-Determination and Success Research Project 2019 – 2022 – Morgan Harrington, Jason Field, Diane Smith and Katie Bellchambers (2022)
Aboriginal Community Governance on the Frontlines and Faultlines in the Black Summer Bushfires – Bhiamie Williamson (2022)
Aboriginal people and the 2022 northern NSW floods – Bhiamie Williamson (abstract only, forthcoming)
Background Paper for The Indigenous Governance Development Forum: Mapping Current and Future Research and Resource Needs – Diane Smith and Toni Bauman (2014)
Governing Country: A Literature Review of Indigenous Governance Principles in Indigenous Ranger Groups & Indigenous Protected Areas – Katie Bellchambers (2023)
Governing the Pandemic: Adaptive Self-Determination as an Indigenous Capability in Australian Organisations – L. Drieberg, D.E. Smith and D. Sutherland (2024)
Indigenous Digital Governance: Principles and Practices for Self-Determination and Equity – D.E. Smith (In Press, Collaborative Governance to Enhance Social Equity: Indigenous Perspectives, edited by Assoc Prof Jason Rivera and Dr Michele Companion, Forthcoming 2024, Routledge, London)
Indigenous self-governance and ‘nation’ building: Considerations for a strategic self-analysis tool – T. Bauman and D. E. Smith (2024)
Inter-Indigenous Treaty Making: Ancient Principles for Contemporary Purposes – D.E. Smith and M. Connolly (2022)
People, Place and Partnerships: A Model for Reclaiming Indigenous Self-Determined Governance of Development – D.E. Smith and J. Field (forthcoming 2024)
Indigenous ‘Elder’ Organisations: The Role of Resilient Adaptive Governance in Renewal and Longevity – M. McCulloch, L. Drieberg, D.E. Smith and F. Markham (2024)
Books
Developing Governance and Governing Development: International Case Studies of Indigenous Futures – edited by Diane Smith, Alice Wighton, Stephen Cornell and Adam Vai Delaney (2021)
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