We have completed our Deadly Research!

Our research report “GOOD GOVERNANCE PRACTICE LEADS TO GOOD RELATIONSHIPS” has been three years in the making!

This Action Research Project was undertaken with eleven of our strong community partners – where we gained new insights and learnings of the intersecting space of First Nations governance practices and Western governance requirements. This research topic is the product of the strong insights we have gained from the communities we work with, and we wanted to explore this further for the benefit of communities and our own learning. As part of our Community First Development protocol, we are invited by First Nations community groups to work alongside them, in doing this we are not only respecting self-determination in the communities we work with, but also in our research.

What a journey of so much learning and yarning! Our Community First development team operate on high levels of trust and deep listening. We were excited and humbled to be in this space where life connections were and will be upheld. Research is a journey and, as some say, not a destination but a commitment to lifelong reciprocal learning and transformation. The potential for First Nations’ research to be transformative is understated. Throughout our Yarning Research we know that First Nations’ voices were heard loud and clear, privileging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, language, and cultural practice as part of the research process. There were lessons learnt along the way that strengthened us as a team and a community. We learnt that the methodologies that we used had to be about connection and two-way engagement. We learnt about the ‘right way’ and how that can have many meanings in First Nation research!

One of our insights was that community ownership is necessary and the vehicle used was rich deep listening and robust yarning. For Community First development this will be an ongoing practice that will be carefully mediated and nurtured over time. We also learnt that “right way governance” is highly relevant and a top priority for First Nation communities. It is also a valuable learning tool for western governance entities. This cannot be understated; further research needs to be conducted so we can explore and understand how “right way governance” can be used as a tool to engage and create a dialogue with western governance entities. Cultural legitimacy was also identified as potential future research in which First Nation practices of governance is embedded into cultural practice and cannot be separated from traditions and culture. This would help us understand how communities can be positioned in a culturally safe space when interacting with Western Governance entities.

The strength of this research project lies in the determination of all involved to articulate First Nations Communities realities with dealing with the intersecting space of First Nation/Western governance, and as part of this project we have had the courage to embrace new learnings, gain a deeper understanding of “the right way” and consolidate those learnings within the research itself.

Watch this space!

A summary of the research project and Final Report, including key learnings, can be downloaded on our website.