15th Australasian Injury Prevention & Safety Promotion Conference

The Australasian Injury Prevention Network (AIPN) are pleased to have hosted the premier injury prevention conference for Australia, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the Asia Pacific, the 15th Australasian Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Conference with the theme:

 

Weaving knowledges for injury prevention and safety promotion; creating a new way together. 

​

The conference was held at the Sir Howard Morrison Centre in Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand, 11-13 March, 2024. 

As the Australasian Injury Prevention Network, we recognise that Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Māori, and Pacific Islander peoples have distinct and enduring cultures with a deep and sacred connection to place. When it comes to Indigenous peoples and injury, we are often painted a picture of inequity through a narrative of deficit and disadvantage, however this conference provided the opportunity to instead look to Indigenous knowledges and peoples as a beacon of hope, and a model of excellence for us all in reimagining injury prevention and safety promotion. 

​

Weaving is a cultural practice shared amongst many Indigenous groups and is used in our conference theme to symbolise the coming together of multiple knowledge systems to create something new, strong, and connected. Injury is a cross cutting issue that has impacts beyond just the ‘classic’ injury prevention paradigms and is relevant to housing, climate change, urban health, suicide prevention, family violence, employment, alcohol and drug and product safety for example. Delegates from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines, across government portfolios, clinicians, practitioners, industry, researchers and communities came together to learn from each other in reimagining injury prevention and safety promotion.  

​

The conference provided a space for Indigenous knowledges to be integrated meaningfully with themes that explored Indigenous approaches to safety, safe practices, storytelling, holistic health and wellbeing.

 

A note from our AIPN Indigenous Committee: 

​

As Indigenous peoples we are inherently relational, accountable, innovative and focussed on reciprocity, or two-way learning. We prioritise ways of thinking, ways of knowing and ways of doing that go beyond a responsibility to ourselves but also to our communities and to Country (lands, waters, skies). Connection to culture, language, traditions, kinship, expressions and ability to self-determine are more than a way of life, but also a protective factor in our overall health and wellbeing. We know that to truly address inequities we must acknowledge and prioritise the broad underlying social and cultural determinants that impact upon health and wellbeing. 

​

These are all lessons for the sector to consider and aspire towards in redefining how we approach injury prevention and safety promotion, particularly for those who inequitably experience the injury burden. Injury cannot be seen as just the physical harm caused by an external event; but should also consider the spiritual, emotional and cultural aspects of harm. Thank you for joining us at the conference and on this journey to create a new way in how we consider and approach injury prevention together.