Indigenous voices: Six podcasts to try
QUICK TAKE
- Listening to Indigenous stories is a great way to gain knowledge and understand other people’s perspectives.
- Podcasts created by Māori, Pasifika, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people deliver insights into First Nations communities throughout Oceania.
- This wrap-up of podcasts created by Indigenous people covers many topics, from business to issues impacting women.
Societies are becoming increasingly aware of the need to leverage Indigenous wisdom, particularly in the fight against climate change. Businesses, too, are championing inclusivity – and an important part of inclusion is understanding others’ perspectives.
To spread some of these ideas and in keeping with the storytelling traditions intrinsic to many First Nations societies, we’ve compiled a list of podcasts produced by Māori, Pasifika, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
1. Meet the Mob
Hosted by supplier diversity expert and author Kristal Kinsela, this series showcases conversations with Indigenous business leaders, covering their work, their ‘why’ and how they’re creating positive change. Guests come from a variety of backgrounds, such as Adam Williams, co-founder of procurement and products company Bunji Enterprises, and Jarin Baigent, creator of activewear brand Jarin Street.
2. Black Magic Woman
The aim of this series is to share stories and celebrate achievements of First Nations people, businesses and communities. In each roughly half-hour episode, host Mundanara Bayles, managing director of cultural capability consultancy BlackCard, yarns with guests from Australia and overseas. Episode 114 features Joshua Duke CA, chair of the CA ANZ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Member Panel, talking about his career and family background and the push to increase the number of Indigenous accountants in Australia.
3. Native Stories
A platform for disseminating Indigenous knowledge and culture, Native Stories invites storytellers, cultural practitioners, historians and others from around the world to share their wisdom. In one episode, renowned Māori leader, astronomy scholar and 2023 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, Professor Rangi Mātāmua, offers insights into the history of his ancestors, who used sun, moon and star alignments to determine when to complete tasks such as planting and fishing. One of the main advocates for the Matariki public holiday first celebrated in 2022, Mātāmua also contributed to the captivating 0800 Matariki podcast, which explains the significance of each star in the Matariki cluster.
4. Sistas, Let’s Talk
Created by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), this series sees Papua New Guinean presenter, producer and journalist Natasha Meten speak to Pacific women about some of the key issues affecting them and their communities. Recent topics include traditional Māori childbirth rituals, why women still do so much unpaid work and cultural barriers to online dating. Launched in 2021, the program seeks to give Pacific women a voice and ultimately reverse their underrepresentation in so many spheres of life, including the media.
5. Māori Millionaire
Te Kahukura Boynton, a young entrepreneur, is on a mission to bridge the wealth gap for Māori by demystifying all things money-related. Since launching in 2022, her series has accumulated more than 30,000 downloads, reaching people across Aotearoa and further afield. Boynton speaks to guests and shares her own insights and tips on financial literacy, covering topics ranging from budgeting to the lessons she’s learned as a business owner, and the connection between mental wellbeing and money.
6. Indigenuity
In this weekly series, astrophysicist and Indigenous sciences advocate Krystal De Napoli has fascinating conversations with Indigenous knowledge holders. She navigates an array of topics and guests: writer Debra Dank, for example, whose memoir We Come With This Place chronicles the intergenerational trauma in her family. Other episodes include interviews with Ben Bowen, CEO of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, and Walmbaar Aboriginal Corporation chairperson Kenneth McLean, who chats about the discovery of 2000–3000-year-old pottery on Jiigurru (Lizard Island).
This article was first published by Acuity Mag at the following URL: https://www.acuitymag.com/technology/six-indigenous-podcasts
