What an incredible few days it was for our CEO, Darrio Penetito-Hemara, who represented Toi Tangata as both an organising committee member and keynote panelist, at the 2025 Indigenous Wellbeing Conference in Meanjin (Brisbane).
From the moment the doors opened, the air was thick with kōrero, yarns, talanoa, laughter, and the unmistakable hum of Indigenous excellence. Attendees were welcomed with a powerful Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony; the air filled with the scent of burning leaves and the aroha of connection, a reminder that every gathering starts with honouring the land and its people.
Darrio joined a powerful line-up of Indigenous leaders from across the globe unpack what it truly means to decolonise health not through theory, but through action. His kōrero was guided by four pou, inspired by the wisdom shared by Te Arikinui Kuini Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō in her kauhau at her first Koroneihana.
Tino rangatiratangatia tō reo - Exercise self-determination through your language.
“Our reo isn’t just how we speak - it’s how we rule ourselves.”
Mana motuhaketia te taiao - Honour the authority of the natural world.
“The taiao has its own mana. We’re not here to manage it, we’re here to listen.”
Tino rangatiratangatia tō hauora - We define what ‘healthy’ looks like for us.
“It’s not measured in calories and steps - it’s measured in connection, whakapapa and joy.”
Mana motuhaketia tō pā harakeke - Protect and empower your whānau unit.
“Because the home fire is where collective wellbeing begins.”
From Pae Tawhiti to Pae Tata, Darrio closed his keynote with a wero that hit home:
“What was once our pae tawhiti, our distant horizon is now our pae tata. We are living the dreams of our ancestors. Fourth-generation reo speakers walk among us as leaders and bearers of knowledge beyond their years, and our whanaunga taketake across the world are walking toward that same dawn.”
It was one of those moments where you could feel the room shift, a reminder that we’ve resisted, redefined, and reclaimed so much already.
Between keynotes, yarns, and kai breaks (shout-out to the Crocodile springrolls!), new relationships were sparked, collaborations formed, and laughter echoed through the Meanjin Convention Centre. From Aotearoa to Papua New Guinea, from the Australia to Turtle Island the message was the same: we thrive when we lead.
What’s Next: IWC 2026
The next Indigenous Wellbeing Conference will be held on Ngambri and Ngunnawal Country (Canberra) on 12–13 October 2026. Sign up to their alerts so you can lock in those early bird tickers (Darrio also swears by their kai tables 🍽).
Toi Tangata continues to stand proudly in the space where mātauranga Māori meets Indigenous innovation. Whether on stage in Meanjin or back home in Aotearoa, our message remains the same:
Mā te mātauranga tuku iho, ka tipu, ka ora, ka toi tangata e!
