Ngarrindjeri Nation partnerships and networking

Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority (NRA) Partnership Principles

The Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority (NRA) facilitates partnerships and interactions with government and other external stakeholders on behalf of the Ngarrindjeri Nation.

To establish a coordinated approach for engagement with both local and state government, the NRA and the Ngarrindjeri Nation developed the Kungun Ngarrindjeri Yunnan (listen to Ngarrindjeri speaking) agreement (KNYA). The KNYA is a formal framework for negotiation and participation between the Ngarrindjeri Nation and governments. It guides equitable Ngarrindjeri engagement in water resource research, policy development and management processes within the SA Murray Darling Basin region.⁶ Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority Inc, Submission by Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority Inc for and on behalf of the Ngarrindjeri to Murray Darling Basin – Royal Commission, May 2018, [link] Today, NRA has KNYA’s with the South Australian Government, Alexandrina Council, Coorong District Council, and Rural City of Murray Bridge.⁷ Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources and the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority, Kungun Ngarrindjeri Yunnan Agreement (KNYA) Listening to Ngarrindjeri People talking, report 2014 and 2015, 2016, [link]

Ngarrindjeri people have also developed a set of Cultural principles and guidelines for research and engagement on Ngarrindjeri Country. These principles and guidelines provide advice to researchers and others on how to consult respectfully and meaningfully with Ngarrindjeri.

Building networks with other Indigenous Nations

The Ngarrindjeri Nation has worked to build networks and alliances with other Indigenous nations, including sharing their cultural principles and guidelines with the Gunditjmara people.

In October 2012, the Ngarrindjeri Nation and the Gunditjmara Nation met for an inter-nation summit in Kingston SE, South Australia. In 2015, another inter-nation summit was hosted by Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation at Lake Condah in Victoria. The purpose of the summit was to explore innovations in Australian Indigenous governance and develop a network for sharing strategies. Over 50 delegates from different nations, communities and groups around Australia attended.⁸ UTS: Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning Excellence in Indigenous Education and Research, “Controlling the Narrative: Nation Building in the Absence of Recognition,” 2016, [link]

The NRA, on behalf of the Ngarrindjeri Nation, has also worked closely with the Indigenous Nations and Collaborative Futures research hub at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research. The research hub works collaboratively with Indigenous peoples and nations to provide education, research and consultancy in Indigenous nation (re)building, Indigenous governance and self-determination.⁹UTS, Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research, “Indigenous Nations and Collaborative Futures,” [link] Between 2010-2022, a series of Australian Research Council funded research collaborations were co-conducted by Jumbunna Institute and the NNI, in partnership with individuals and groups from the Gunditjmara People and the Gugu Badhun, Ngarrindjeri, Nyungar and Wiradjuri Nations.¹⁰Daryle Rigney, Simone Bignall, Alison Vivian and Steve Hemming, Indigenous Nation Building and the Political Determinants of Health and Wellbeing Discussion Paper (Melbourne: Lowitja Institute, 2022), [link]