The voices of the Pacific Australian Emerging Leaders Summit
Written by Peter Lang, Advocacy Analyst for Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
In late November 2023, I had the privilege to represent the Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Advocacy Team at the Pacific Australian Emerging Leaders' Summit (PAELS) in Sydney and Canberra. This was thanks to the generous support of Caritas Oceania, Micah Australia, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. PAELS 2023 was guided by the Pacific We See Report, produced by the PAELS 2022 delegation. The summit was both a reminder of Aotearoa’s place as a Pacific Island nation, and an opportunity to raise our key issues at an international level.
Connecting indigenous voices
The summit brought together indigenous youth leaders from 16 states and territories across the Pacific, as well as Pacific diaspora within Australia, indigenous Australians, and other faith-based youth leaders from across Australia. I attended as a part of the Caritas Oceania Youth Alliance (COYA), alongside delegates from Australia, Cook Islands, Samoa, and Tonga.
Bringing so many passionate youth advocates together brought a sense of shared purpose and Solidarity – Whakawhanaungatanga with one another, as well as many laughs and funny moments, forming human connections across our Pacific family.
We began in Sydney with a day of immersion in indigenous Australian culture, history and theology, including a talk on the history of blackbirding in the Pacific. I found this to be a powerful and confronting discussion; although Australia has a different history to Aotearoa New Zealand, it was an important chance to reflect on the intertwined histories of Christianity and colonialism in our region.
Our delegation then travelled to Canberra, where we had an opportunity to talanoa with Pacific elders (including Reverend James Bagwan, General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches) and attended panels on issues such as climate change and natural disasters, healthy communities, and inclusion of all in the Pacific. With support from my fellow COYA delegates, I gave a presentation on climate change to highlight the impacts it has brought to Aotearoa and Oceania, and Caritas’s vision for ambitious and effective climate action centring on the needs of the most vulnerable.
Advocating to Australian politicians
While in Canberra, our delegation spent a day at the Australian Federal Parliament, meeting with Australian legislators in small groups. We were welcomed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who stressed the importance of leadership bringing people together.
My group then had the opportunity to meet with MP Dai Le, an independent MP from Fowler, Western Sydney. Coming from a refugee background, MP Le shares our concerns over the human rights of Pacific seasonal migrant workers.
Next, the group met with Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians and Indigenous Health. Senator McCarthy shares our commitment to achieving better health outcomes for indigenous communities through the approach of Subsidiarity – Mana Whakahaere, including the areas of environment and health.
Finally, we met with MP Dr. Sophie Scamps, an independent MP from Mackellar in North Sydney. Part of Australia’s ‘teal wave’, Dr. Scamps is committed to pushing the Australian government for more ambitious climate action and support to the Pacific, in line with Stewardship – Kaitiakitanga.
All three legislators were very generous with their time and listened to our stories and concerns. Although my primary advocacy focus is on the New Zealand government, many of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand’s core concerns – emissions reduction, human rights for migrant workers, and fair finance for the Pacific – are also very relevant to the Australian government. The summit provided an opportunity to air these concerns, build connections, and see in other political contexts how advocacy is conducted and the success that has been achieved.
I am deeply grateful to all those who enabled me to attend the Summit, and to my fellow delegates from across the Pacific who shared their stories and passions with me in seeking to build a healthier, safer, and more inclusive region for our generation.