Indigenous Disaster Resilience Gathering at GLaWAC a Showcase of First Nations Knowledge
11 March 2026
If you look, you will find stories of amazing people doing incredible work in the world.
Here’s one.
Up in Gadigal Country, Wiradjuri woman Coral Lever runs an organisation called First Nations Response.
Coral started First Nations Response back when COVID hit, and mob in Sydney’s inner west were struggling to access food and basic goods and services for their survival.
Since COVID, First Nations Response has grown to address food insecurity for mob in Sydney more broadly, and has responded to flooding, protests, vigils, sorry business, deaths in custody, and to support women escaping domestic violence.
Coral was recently named NSW Local Woman of the Year.
Legend.
Coral is one of the remarkable people coming to Gunaikurnai Country in May for the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience (NIDR) Gathering.
Here’s another.
Over in Aotearoa (New Zealand), Dr Darren Ngaru King is a world-renowned scientist that studies, among other things, tsunamis and the impacts they have on Māori communities.
Blending his scientific education with Indigenous practice and knowledge systems, Darren believes that Māori knowledge is a valuable and neglected area of information and understanding about past catastrophic events in Aotearoa.
He has studied how Māori storytelling and active oral histories can provide important insights into tsunamis and other catastrophic events of the past.
Pretty incredible.
And back here on Wurundjeri Country, architect and educator Nikhila Madabhushi is leading a team of researchers looking at innovative temporary housing designs for people and communities impacted by natural disasters like bushfires.
These are the kinds of creative thinkers and leaders that are coming together at GLaWAC for the NIDR Gathering, May 5 – 7.
Tickets and more info at https://events.humanitix.com/nidr-gathering-2026
Hosted by GLaWAC and NIDR in partnership with Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust, East Gippsland Shire Council and the Jagun Alliance, the NIDR Gathering will bring together leading experts from across Australia for keynote addresses, panel discussions and workshops that explore Indigenous-led disaster mitigation, response and recovery work being done here on Country and around the world.
Not only that, GLaWAC will be hosting cultural tours and activities to get folks out of the meetings rooms and onto Country.
If your work touches on disaster resilience and emergency management, land and water management, Aboriginal families and communities, sustainable planning or helping communities recover and thrive (or if you just love listening to incredibly smart and passionate people share what they know) you should be there.
