THE IMPORTANCE OF CO-DESIGN

RECOGNISING THAT TRADITIONAL OWNERS SHOULD LEAD THE WAY

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are Australia’s First People, who for 60,000 years have cared for their land and sea Country. They are the first scientists, farmers, engineers, innovators and conservationists. They have successfully nurtured and protected their environment through changing seasons and climates, guided by traditional knowledge and customs passed down through generations.

Today, in partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Traditional Owners are at the centre of the largest ever co-designed Reef protection effort. By weaving Traditional Knowledge with Western science, they’re developing and applying innovative solutions to the challenges threatening coral reefs. 

This work is world-leading, but to make any sort of meaningful progress, it’s imperative that Traditional Owners are at the heart of design, delivery and decision making at the highest level. By ensuring they have a seat at the table and are heard on matters that impact their Country and their communities, they are helping chart a course towards transformative change.

This is the story of how this innovative co-design approach came to be. 

In 2018, Foundation Director of Traditional Owner Strategic Initiatives Liz Wren set out to determine the best way to increase Traditional Owner engagement on the Reef.

“Traditional Owners told us that they wanted to have equity and a seat at the table, they wanted to share their unique perspectives and have a voice in decision making. They wanted to co-design this opportunity,” said Liz.

“I was no expert in co-design at the very start. As I started the journey, there was a lot to consider. How was I going to show up to this opportunity that Traditional Owners had fought so hard for, for so long, and lost so many loved ones – old, not-so-old and way-too-young along the way? How could I continue to authentically honour this work?

“Early in the process, a crucial event happened – I was fortunate enough to meet one of the world’s leading practitioners in co-design, Penny Hagan, from the NZ Co-Design Lab. She valued our team’s bold and ambitious mission and offered to mentor and coach us through the journey,” Liz explained.

This work led to the involvement of another leading co-design practitioner, KA McKercher. They provided a critical, deeper understanding of the co-design process – that it’s not a one-off event – but rather, an ongoing process. They also gave the team invaluable guidance around incorporating the four principles of co-design into the creation of Traditional Owner programs. 

Liz Wren – Proud Wiradjuri and Kirawina woman and Director of Traditional Owner Strategic Initiatives at the Great Barrier Reef Foundation

Share Power

This is done by bringing in Traditional Owners with lived experience and diverse perspectives to design programs with us that best meet the needs of Traditional Owners – at a Reef and Catchment-wide level. 

Prioritise Relationships 

This is about how the Foundation shows up as a partner and demonstrates a supportive mindset when co-designing with Traditional Owners.

Use Participatory Means

The Foundation co-creates, co-develops, collaborates and co-designs with the Traditional Owners it works with through its governance arrangements. Each group and arrangement is like a unique fingerprint, where it is collectively decided through the process what participatory method will apply to the design and delivery. Collective co-evaluation is a key part of the process.

Build Capacity

The Foundation has provided significant generosity into the system to build capacity. This is not just about building Traditional Owners’ skills. There is a lot of time spent working with Western-based, mainstream partners who lack cultural and engagement competency, and who need guidance in undertaking ethical research practices that meet the reasonable expectations of Traditional Owners. This is helping to build a greater awareness and understanding about co-design as a means of raising the bar – to set and create better practice and standards, and to build and strengthen those competencies required to enter into and retain improved partnerships.

Adapted from: McKercher, K. A. (2020). Beyond Sticky Notes. “Doing Co-design for real: mindsets, methods and movements.”

HERE’S WHAT’S BEEN
ACHIEVED SO FAR THROUGH CO-DESIGN

• Five key focus areas have emerged including planning, grants, partnerships, leadership and innovation, and a strategy to communicate. 
• Four Annual Work Plans have been produced that guide our work and investment.
• Six grant opportunities have been delivered in just under four years, with 85 on-ground/in-water Traditional Owner-led projects involving over 65 Traditional Owner groups, representing an investment of $18.4M in funding.
• Traditional Owners have been able to come together and make or action plans that have been sitting waiting for partner investment for over five years.

• They’ve also been able to bring community together and get back out on Country.
• They have been able to connect more deeply with each other – including being able to take Elders back out on Country and undertake important cultural work that heals themselves and Country as well as helps to support maintaining their culture.
• Traditional Owners have been able to build and strengthen their governance, employ their own people as Community Research Officers and establish how they are going to support their own data sovereignty and agreement-making processes.

THE MAIN LEARNINGS
FROM CO-DESIGN

The co-design process has produced many crucial learnings. Mainly, that transformational change is incredibly hard. For any hope to see even the smallest ripples of positive change, Traditional Owners need to be invited to share the power to make critical decisions and apply actions.

Another key learning is that inviting people in at the very beginning – with a partnering mentality – will challenge us around co-design principles and mindsets and deeply explore power, power dynamics and power sharing.

Lastly, we can’t be afraid to sit with the process, have hard conversations and see what gets raised. It allows for the building, sustaining and deepening of genuine relationships with Traditional Owners from beginning to end – and creating space for a new type of shared leadership to emerge.

Want to learn more about this co-design journey? Click here to read Where It Began: Part 1, the first instalment of the four-part series about the background of the initiative, the six stages of the co-design process, the essential mindsets embraced and much more.