The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) has announced New Zealand's Children's Commissioner, Judge Frances Eivers, as the keynote address speaker for SNAICC's 10th National Conference.
A passionate advocate for First Nations children, Judge Eivers is a Ngāti Maniapoto woman from Waikato, New Zealand.
"I'm honoured to be delivering the keynote address at the 10th SNAICC National Conference and look forward to making new friends in Darwin," Judge Eivers said.
"I'm especially interested to learn more about the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people and the call for a First Nations Commissioner to serve them."
A former family court judge and criminal lawyer, Judge Eivers has seen her fair share of disadvantage and racial disparity in the out-of-home care sector before being appointed as New Zealand's Children's Commissioner in November, 2021.
She believes it is important to have powerful champions for Indigenous children and has been outspoken about closing care and protection units and improving conditions for children in care.
"My vision as Children's Commissioner has always been 'kia kuru pounamu te rongo – that all children live their best lives. I'm sure that's a vision that all indigenous people aspire to – and I look forward to sharing some of the ways I have advocated for our mokopuna in Aotearoa," Judge Eivers said.
"This has been about calling for by Māori, for Māori approaches to caring for children, within the context of their close and wider family groups.
"Integral to this work is listening to and amplifying the voices of young people, which I know is something very important to you at SNAICC, too."
SNAICC chair Muriel Bamblett said it is important to examine New Zealand's experience.
"We are excited to connect with such a passionate advocate for First Nations children and families," Ms Bamblett said.
"We look forward to sharing ideas and finding out more about what Australia can learn from New Zealand's experience."
The 10th SNAICC National Conference will be held on Larrakia Country in Garramilla (Darwin) this September, with more than 1000 delegates expected to attend.
SNAICC chief executive Catherine Liddle emphasised how valuable Judge Eivers' insights will be as the Conference's keynote speaker for finding a way forward toward establishing a National Commissioner to address the needs of Indigenous children.
"SNAICC and our supporters have been calling for the establishment of a National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People for several years," Ms Liddle said.
"We believe that a National Commissioner dedicated to advancing the rights of our children will be instrumental in the effort to end the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage in our communities and promote better outcomes for future generations."
The Conference will include 102 concurrent sessions featuring a range of presentations, panel discussions, yarning circles and workshops by more than 100 organisations, associations and entities.
More information about SNAICCC'23 can be found on the SNAICC website.
