President’s update: Reflections from Aotearoa New Zealand

Kia ora,

E ngā mana nui, Tēnei te reo aumihi me te reo whakamānawa atu nei ki a koutou te mana whenua me Te Tai Tokerau whānui hei tiaki i te mana o Te Tiriti o Waitangi, nā koutou mātou i pōhiri ki tēnei whenua taurikura nei.

(To the great people of this beautiful part of the land, a sincere greeting and heartfelt thanks to the guardians of the Treaty of Waitangi, for your welcome to the safe haven of Waitangi).

I have just returned from the RANZCP New Zealand Conference in the beautiful Bay of Islands, with my heart full, my cup replenished, and a renewed sense of energy and purpose.

Coming back to Aotearoa New Zealand always feels like coming home. Nearly 20 years ago, I undertook much of my psychiatry training in Waikato, Tauranga and Mount Maunganui. The people, places and experiences of those years helped shape not only the psychiatrist I became, but also who I am today.

I have often reflected on the multiple identities and connections we carry through life. India, where my roots lie; Aotearoa New Zealand, where much of my professional and personal journey unfolded; and Australia, where I have continued to build my life and career. All three feel like home, each in a different way. There is something deeply beautiful about belonging to more than one place.

Perhaps that is why this conference resonated so deeply with me.

Some conferences leave us with new knowledge. Others leave us thinking differently about our profession, our relationships and ourselves. This was very much the latter.

From the moving pōwhiri at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to the scientific sessions and conversations that followed, I was struck by the respect for culture, identity, community and lived experience that permeated the conference.

There is much we can learn from our colleagues in Aotearoa. I have long admired the ways in which Māori knowledge, traditions and perspectives inform mental health care. Here, cultural safety was not simply a subject for discussion. It was reflected in how people were welcomed, listened to and acknowledged.

The presence and wisdom of kaumātua were particularly meaningful. I feel privileged to have spent time with Matua Ron Baker and Whaea Moe Milne, whose warmth, generosity and wisdom I will carry with me. Our conversations also brought home the concerns they hold for the future of their culture, communities and country in the current political climate. They reminded me that cultural recognition, equity and self-determination require continued commitment and should never be taken for granted.

One of the most emotional moments was witnessing Professor Hinemoa Elder receive the Pirika Taonga, recognising her extraordinary contributions to Māori mental health. The award honours Poiti Arama-karaka Pirika, who served as our College kaumātua from 2008 to 2017.

What made the occasion especially moving was hearing Dr Matira Taikato, Chair of Te Kaunihera, share fond memories of her uncle Pirika. There was such warmth, affection and pride in her recollections. Watching Hinemoa being honoured by her own people, through an award carrying such personal and cultural significance, was a beautiful reminder that our achievements are shaped by those who came before us, the communities to which we belong and the relationships we nurture.

The conference’s focus on Te Tiriti-based solutions to inequities in mental health and addictions was timely and thought-provoking. I was particularly encouraged by the prominence and respect afforded to lived experience leadership, not as an addition to professional expertise, but as an essential part of how we understand mental health, design services and make decisions.

The discussions challenged us to move beyond consultation towards genuine partnership and shared authority. Culturally informed care requires more than knowledge of another culture. It calls for humility, curiosity, awareness of our own assumptions and a willingness to change established ways of working. The measure of cultural safety is not how culturally aware we believe ourselves to be, but whether those we serve experience genuine respect, belonging and a voice in decisions affecting their lives.

I want to acknowledge the wonderful work of Tū Te Akaaka Roa, our New Zealand National Office, under the thoughtful leadership of its Chair, Associate Professor Hiran Thabrew, alongside the conference convenors, organisers and presenters. My sincere thanks also to our kaumātua Matua Ron Baker and Whaea Moe Milne, Tui Taurua, Te Kaunihera Māori advisory board, as well as members, staff and all those who contributed. Their commitment to bringing together clinical science, Māori knowledge, lived experience and community perspectives was evident throughout.

As President of a bi-national College, I feel fortunate to be part of a profession enriched by the distinct histories, cultures and perspectives of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. 

While walking through the Bay of Islands, I came across a beautiful, colourful mural depicting rivers, the natural world and our interconnectedness.

A quotation attributed to Friedensreich Hundertwasser caught my attention:

“When we dream alone it is only a dream, but when many dream together it is the beginning of a new reality.”

Dr Astha Tomar
President