The International Network of Indigenous Health, Knowledge & Development (INIHKD) is an international alliance spanning Aotearoa, Australia, Canada, Hawaiʻi, the United States and, more recently, the Pacific. INIHKD/26101401
Rarotonga will host over 600 delegates for the international Indigenous conference in November, boosting local businesses and featuring a dedicated youth forum.
More than 600 Indigenous scholars, researchers, practitioners, creatives and community leaders from around the world will converge on Rarotonga next month, when the Cook Islands hosts a major international Indigenous gathering for the first time in the Pacific.
The International Network of Indigenous Health, Knowledge & Development (INIHKD) conference will be held at Te Are Karioi Nui National Auditorium from 9–13 November, bringing together delegates from across Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Hawaiʻi, the United States, the Pacific and further afield.
While the gathering will put the Cook Islands at the centre of international conversations about Indigenous health and healing, environmental and ecological systems, and advanced technologies and AI, organisers are also working to ensure its benefits are felt well beyond the conference programme.
On-island co-ordinator Jaewynn McKay said hosting more than 600 international visitors presented an important opportunity to showcase not only the Cook Islands as a destination, but also its people, products and creativity.
Wherever possible, McKay said products and services for the event are being sourced locally, creating opportunities for Cook Islands businesses, community organisations, growers, producers and creatives.
Even the conference packs delegates receive on arrival will carry a distinctly Cook Islands flavour. Among the locally sourced products being included are pareu from the Creative Centre, locally produced oil from Mauke and lip balm from Rito, alongside other Cook Islands-made products and gifts.
McKay added that rather than bringing products into the country for an event of this scale, organisers have made a conscious effort to look locally first.
“We want our delegates to know from the moment they arrive that they are in the Cook Islands. That means looking first at what we can source here, who we can work with locally and how we can make sure an international gathering of this size creates opportunities for our community as well.”
The conference will make use of a number of venues around Rarotonga, with nine breakout spaces operating alongside the main conference programme. Local facilities, including the hostels and Takamoa, will be used to accommodate the extensive programme of concurrent sessions.
The local focus will continue on the opening night, with a marketplace showcasing Cook Islands products and giving delegates the opportunity to buy directly from local vendors.
Organisers were particularly keen to include the marketplace because, with a packed five-day programme, some international delegates may have little opportunity to explore Rarotonga’s shops and businesses during their stay.
“We know some delegates will have very full days and may not get much time to go shopping, so we are bringing a little of Rarotonga to them,” McKay said.
“The marketplace gives our local businesses and producers an opportunity to put their products directly in front of hundreds of international visitors.”
Young people will also have an opportunity to be part of the international gathering through the INIHKD 2026 Youth Forum, a four-day programme for Indigenous youth aged 12–22, running from 9–12 November alongside the main conference.
McKay said the Youth Forum, a partnership with Kōrero O Te 'Ōrau, will bring young Indigenous people together to connect, share experiences and explore themes including ocean and reef environments, land and mountains, culture and tradition, leadership and collaboration.
Activities will include workshops, cultural and traditional knowledge sharing, environmental learning, creative practice, dance and performance.
The programme will also feature Te Aorere Pēwhairangi, a prominent New Zealand Māori content creator, broadcaster and Te Reo Māori advocate, as Youth Forum keynote speaker, bringing perspectives on storytelling, social media and digital strategy into conversations about Indigenous identity, knowledge and the future.
McKay said the Youth Forum provides an opportunity for young people to engage with their peers, learn from Indigenous knowledge holders and contribute their own ideas and experiences to the wider gathering.
This year’s gathering, “Reclaiming Indigenous Ecologies of Love for Future Generations” (RIEL FFG), is particularly significant as the first time the INIHKD conference has been held in the Pacific.
INIHKD is an international alliance spanning Aotearoa, Australia, Canada, Hawaiʻi, the United States and, more recently, the Pacific. Its gatherings bring together Indigenous knowledge holders and leaders from a wide range of disciplines to share research, experience and solutions to issues affecting Indigenous communities.
The 2026 programme will focus on three major themes: Indigenous Health and Healing; Environmental and Ecological Systems; and Advanced Technologies and AI, alongside a number of cross-cutting themes.
For Rarotonga, however, the impact of hosting the gathering will also be seen outside the conference rooms, as hundreds of delegates eat, stay, travel, shop and experience the Cook Islands during their visit.