Sustainable Conflict Engagement Framework: a Tool for Supporting Parties with Enduring Conflict 

MBBO Member Judith Rafferty

The 3-day NMC Conference was held offshore for the first time in its history in, Wellington Aotearoa New Zealand in their brand new conference centre. The opening reception was held at the Te Papa Museum next to the Treaty of Waitangi. It was opened with a traditional Māori greeting and song, a response song chosen by a group of first nations mediators from Northern Territory. 

The song the representatives of the visiting delegates chose was “I am Australian”. It was a very moving ceremony. Especially with one of the elders singing the first verse and with many of those attending joining in to sing the chorus. The NMC had five streams of presentations themed around Community and Workplace, Conciliation & Community, Research etc, First Nations and FDR. Speakers came from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia to name a few. As always with these conferences the networking, connecting, discussions and sharing of perspectives was incredible.