“The Indigenous Exchange Forum: transitions in mine closure” was held on 2–3 November 2021 over Zoom, hosted by the CSRM. It was the culmination of on-Country, in-community and on-line collaborations during 2021 with First Nations individuals and groups from Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and Canada.   

The collaborative research and subsequent Forum aimed to affirm, connect, and elevate the voices of First Nations leaders on the topic of mine closure. In doing so, we hoped to begin to build an international network across these First Nations communities by providing an independent and culturally safe space to facilitate the connection between First Nations peoples, whose customary lands have been impacted by mining.

The Forum and subsequent report aim to facilitate knowledge exchange and to share innovative ideas and practices in response to mine site transitions between the First Nations groups, and between First Nations groups and industry.

At one of the Australian sites, we also made a short film with the Waanyi Traditional Owners of the New Century mine in the Gulf of Carpentaria region of Queensland, entitled “Waanyi Voices”.

Here is the link to the film: https://vimeo.com/672612231