First Nations Affairs

Bec
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🎙️ First Nations Affairs Podcast – Where First Nations Leadership Meets Climate, Finance & ESG The First Nations Affairs Podcast is your go-to space for deep insights at the intersection of First Nations governance, climate action, finance, and ESG. Hosted by Bec Blurton, this podcast challenges the status quo, driving conversations that move beyond tokenism into real, strategic transformation. From sustainability frameworks to corporate accountability, we unpack how business, investment, and policy can embed First Nations leadership—not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental pillar of success. Whether you’re in ESG, impact investing, or sustainability, this is the space to explore what true First Nations economic participation looks like.

  1. APR 19

    Embedding Authority: Outcomes, Accountability, and the Path Forward

    🎙️ Episode 3 | Embedding Authority: Outcomes, Accountability, and the Path Forward Podcast Series: Reframing Reef Governance: Traditional Owner Leadership in Practice Episode Description: In the final episode of the series, Bec Blurton and Gugu-Badhun man Ben Gertz turn to outcomes — what six years of genuine co-design produced, where the process fell short, and what long-term accountability requires once a program of this kind concludes. Over the life of the Reef Trust Partnership, $35 million was dispersed through Traditional Owner Technical Working Groups operating with genuine decision-making authority. The Healthy Water Committee allocated $5.5 million and supported the establishment of more than 260 ranger positions across the full length of the reef catchment. Ben reflects on the governance capacity built through the process and the individual journeys of committee members who entered uncertain of their credentials and left with the confidence to take on director roles and international engagements. He is also direct about where the process fell short — in building relationships with mainstream conservation bodies and agricultural stakeholders and in reaching the central and southern sections of the catchment. The conversation addresses scalability, the risks of replication without depth, what long-term accountability looks like after a program ends, and what Ben hopes to see across the reef governance landscape in five years' time. 📍 A First Nations Affairs × Ben Gertz collaboration #ReefGovernance #TraditionalOwners #Accountability #FirstNationsLeadership #GreatBarrierReef #Conservation #ClimateFinance #FirstNationsAffairs www.firstnationsaffairs.com hello@firstnationsaffairs.com www.firstnationsaffairs.com hello@firstnationsaffairs.com

    43 min

  2. APR 19

    Operationalising Co-Design Across Institutions

    🎙️ Episode 2 | Operationalising Co-Design Across Institutions Podcast Series: Reframing Reef Governance: Traditional Owner Leadership in Practice Episode Description: In this second episode, Bec Blurton continues her conversation with Gugu-Badhun man and Deputy Chair of the Healthy Water Traditional Owner Technical Working Group, Ben Gertz, moving from historical context to the practical realities of what genuine co-design required to function. The Healthy Water Committee began its work in 2020 in the midst of COVID-19, meeting fortnightly on Zoom with a blank mandate and $8 million to allocate. Ben walks through what the first year actually looked like — not designing programs, but working through the institutional scepticism that decades of consultation had created. He reflects on what it took to believe the offer was real and why that process was essential rather than incidental. The conversation also explores how Traditional Ecological Knowledge was integrated alongside Western science throughout the committee's work — not as supplementary input, but as a parallel knowledge system with its own rigour and depth. Ben shares a creation story from Gugu-Badhun Country that encodes 7,000 years of geological history and what it means for that knowledge to be in the room with genuine authority behind it. 📍 A First Nations Affairs × Ben Gertz collaboration #CoDesign #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #ReefGovernance #FirstNationsGovernance #GreatBarrierReef #IndigenousKnowledge #ESG #FirstNationsAffairs www.firstnationsaffairs.com hello@firstnationsaffairs.com www.firstnationsaffairs.com hello@firstnationsaffairs.com

    47 min

  3. APR 19

    Historical Settings and the Limits of Consultation

    🎙️ Episode 1 | Historical Settings and the Limits of Consultation Podcast Series: Reframing Reef Governance: Traditional Owner Leadership in Practice Episode Description: In this opening episode, Bec Blurton sits down with Gugu-Badhun man and Deputy Chair of the Healthy Water Traditional Owner Technical Working Group, Ben Gertz, to examine the historical landscape of Traditional Owner engagement in reef conservation – and the structural conditions that made reform necessary. A desktop review conducted at the outset of the Reef Trust Partnership found close to 600 water quality projects funded across the Great Barrier Reef catchment. Six were led by Traditional Owner groups. Less than one percent of total expenditure had reached them. Ben reflects on what those numbers reveal about whose governance has historically been considered legitimate, what standard consultation has looked like in practice, and how the Reef Trust Partnership's approach — giving Traditional Owner Technical Working Groups genuine decision-making authority and a blank canvas — represented a meaningful structural departure. We also discuss the role of trust in any genuine co-design process and why the time it takes to build it is not a delay to the work — it is the work beginning. 📍 A First Nations Affairs × Ben Gertz collaboration #TraditionalOwners #ReefGovernance #CoDesign #GreatBarrierReef #FirstNationsLeadership #Conservation #ESG #FirstNationsAffairs www.firstnationsaffairs.com hello@firstnationsaffairs.com www.firstnationsaffairs.com hello@firstnationsaffairs.com

    44 min

  4. 07/31/2025

    Tools For Change

    🎙️ Episode 3 Tools for Change Podcast Series: Accountable to Country: Rethinking Corporate Law Through a First Nations Lens Episode Description: In the final episode of the series, Tyson McEwan turns to the legal tools already available, and those yet to be built, to hold corporations accountable to their reconciliation commitments and responsibilities on Country. From shareholder activism to disclosure obligations, we explore how corporate law can be strategically leveraged to bridge the gap between promises and practice. We discuss the parallels between RAPs and other non-financial reporting regimes like climate and modern slavery, and outlines a future where RAP compliance is no longer optional, but expected. This conversation invites listeners to imagine a legal and governance environment where First Nations rights and perspectives are structurally embedded into how companies operate. 📍 A First Nations Affairs × Tyson McEwan collaboration  Based on: Holding Corporations to Account for their Supplier Diversity Commitments in Reconciliation Action Plans — Australian Journal of Corporate Law (2025)  #CorporateLaw #FirstNationsGovernance #RAPAccountability #Disclosure #ShareholderActivism #ProtectCountry #FirstNationsAffairs www.firstnationsaffairs.com hello@firstnationsaffairs.com

    30 min

  5. 07/29/2025

    When Commitments Don’t Deliver

    🎙️ Episode 2 When Commitments Don’t Deliver  Podcast Series: Accountable to Country: Rethinking Corporate Law Through a First Nations Lens Episode Description: RAPs have become the go-to model for corporate reconciliation, but what happens when commitments don’t deliver? In this episode, we examine the structural weaknesses of Reconciliation Action Plans, focusing on the voluntary nature of their commitments and the lack of enforcement that leaves First Nations businesses exposed. We explore how supplier diversity can be a vehicle for economic justice and unpack the risks of relying on goodwill over governance. Drawing on legal analysis and real-world examples, Tyson outlines the gap between symbolic commitments and tangible outcomes, and reflects on how organisations can take a more accountable and embedded approach to reconciliation. 📍 A First Nations Affairs × Tyson McEwan collaboration  Based on: Holding Corporations to Account for their Supplier Diversity Commitments in Reconciliation Action Plans — Australian Journal of Corporate Law (2025) #CorporateAccountability #RAPs #SupplierDiversity #FirstNationsEconomics #Governance #EconomicJustice #FirstNationsAffairs www.firstnationsaffairs.com hello@firstnationsaffairs.com

    25 min

  6. 07/27/2025

    Walking in Two Worlds

    🎙️ Episode 1 Walking in Two Worlds  Podcast Series: Accountable to Country: Rethinking Corporate Law Through a First Nations Lens Episode Description: In this episode, Tyson McEwan explores what it means to walk in two worlds and how this lived experience informs a First Nations perspective on corporate law, governance, and accountability. Drawing on his recent article published in the Australian Journal of Corporate Law, Tyson reflects on the role of cultural protocol in business, the legacy of historical exclusion, and the structural significance of supplier diversity within Reconciliation Action Plans. We discuss why corporate commitments must move beyond symbolic gestures and what meaningful accountability looks like when grounded in First Nations values and economic self-determination. 📍 A First Nations Affairs × Tyson McEwan collaboration  Based on: Holding Corporations to Account for their Supplier Diversity Commitments in Reconciliation Action Plans — Australian Journal of Corporate Law (2025) #TwoWorlds #FirstNationsGovernance #CorporateLaw #SupplierDiversity #EconomicJustice #CulturalProtocol #FirstNationsAffairs www.firstnationsaffairs.com hello@firstnationsaffairs.com

    25 min

  7. 05/19/2025

    Rethinking the System: What Real Government Support Looks Like

    🎙️ Episode 4 Title: Rethinking the System: What Real Government Support Looks Like Podcast Series: First Nations Economics Episode Description: In the final episode of the series, Ben Ainsworth outlines what real support for First Nations economic development should look like and why the current approach continues to fall short. From shareholder resolutions to Indigenous data sovereignty, Ben maps out the structural mechanisms that could hold corporations and governments accountable to their RAP commitments. He calls for institutions that are First Nations-led, not just First Nations-facing and lays out a blueprint for economic reform grounded in self-determination and equity. This episode is a call to rethink what support means and who gets to define it. Read the article here.  📍 A First Nations Affairs × Ben Ainsworth collaboration #SystemReform #RAPAccountability #SelfDetermination #FirstNationsPolicy #ShareholderAction #InstitutionalChange www.firstnationsaffairs.com hello@firstnationsaffairs.com

    37 min

  8. 05/19/2025

    What Happens When You Put Culture Inside the Economy

    🎙️ Episode 3 Title: What Happens When You Put Culture Inside the Economy Podcast Series: First Nations Economics Episode Description: In this third episode, Gija man and First Nations economist Ben Ainsworth explores what shifts when First Nations cultural values aren’t just acknowledged, they’re embedded directly into economic decision-making. Ben breaks down how Western models of productivity and value creation often miss the mark when applied to Indigenous business. He explains how culturally grounded economies define success differently, prioritising community wellbeing, continuity of culture, and connection to Country. This episode challenges conventional thinking about productivity, return on investment, and economic “growth” and offers a compelling case for redesigning the system from the inside out. Read the article here 📍 A First Nations Affairs × Ben Ainsworth collaboration #CulturalCapital #ProductivityReframed #IndigenousEconomies #FirstNationsLeadership #SystemicChange www.firstnationsaffairs.com hello@firstnationsaffairs.com

    37 min
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About

🎙️ First Nations Affairs Podcast – Where First Nations Leadership Meets Climate, Finance & ESG The First Nations Affairs Podcast is your go-to space for deep insights at the intersection of First Nations governance, climate action, finance, and ESG. Hosted by Bec Blurton, this podcast challenges the status quo, driving conversations that move beyond tokenism into real, strategic transformation. From sustainability frameworks to corporate accountability, we unpack how business, investment, and policy can embed First Nations leadership—not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental pillar of success. Whether you’re in ESG, impact investing, or sustainability, this is the space to explore what true First Nations economic participation looks like.

Information

  • Creator
    Bec
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 First Nations Affairs
  • Show Website
    First Nations Affairs