From November 24-26, delegates from the Royal Society of Canada will travel to Aotearoa New Zealand to participate in Taikura, the second summit of the Tri-Academy Partnership (TAP) on Indigenous Engagement.
About TAP
In 2017, the RSC established a Task Force on Truth and Reconciliation, leading to the publication of Royally Wronged: The Royal Society of Canada and Indigenous Peoples (2021), which examined the RSC’s role in the marginalization of Indigenous knowledge and communities. Following its release, the RSC made reconciliation through inclusive engagement — and continues to make it — a core strategic priority.
Building on this commitment, in 2024, the RSC partnered with the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi and the Australian Academy of Science to launch TAP, a three-year initiative featuring annual summits in each participating country to advance Indigenous engagement within the academy.
Inaugural Summit
The first summit, held from November 4-6, 2025, in Vancouver, focused on Cultural Heritage in an Era of Reconciliation.
Frank Deer, Past RSC College President and Chair of the Canadian Organizing Committee, said:
“The RSC recognizes our responsibility to understand our past as the necessary first step in pursuing reconciliation. Our partnership with Australia and New Zealand aims to create space for learning and for amplifying voices in order to walk this path.”
The summit featured keynote and panel discussions with leading scholars from Canada, Australia, and Aotearoa (New Zealand). Discussions explored how the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples informs the Academies’ work, ways national academies can better engage with Indigenous peoples, and the institutional changes are needed to support meaningful engagement. The event report can be accessed here.
Upcoming Summit in New Zealand
At the close of the inaugural summit, Canada passed the torch to the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi. The second summit, to be held this November in Auckland, will focus on leading and shaping international research agendas, transforming academia for Indigenous peoples, and Indigenizing the academy.
Canadian Delegates
The RSC is proud to coordinate the participation of the following delegates:
- Professor Frank Deer, RSC College (Kanienkeha’ka from Kahnawake, University of Manitoba), Past RSC College President
- Dr. Marie Battiste, FRSC (Potlotek First Nation in Unama’ki, University of Saskatchewan)
- Professor Keith Thor Carlson, RSC College (University of the Fraser Valley)
- Professor Aimée Craft, RSC College (Anishinaabe, Métis, University of Ottawa)
- Kahsennaró:roks Maddy Deom (Kanien'kehá:ka, University of British Columbia)
- Associate Professor Marti Ford (Inuit, Settler, University of Manitoba)
- Professor David Garneau, FRSC (Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, University of Regina)
- Professor Margaret Kovach, RSC College (Nêhiyaw, Saulteaux, University of British Columbia)
- Professor Annie Pullen Sansfaçon, RSC College (Wendat Nation, University of Montreal)
- Professor Kisha Supernant, RSC College (Métis/British, University of Alberta)
- Assistant Professor Jaris Swidrovich (Saulteaux and Ukrainian from Yellow Quill First Nation, University of Toronto and founder and Chair of the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada)
Final Summit
Next year, New Zealand will pass the torch to the Australian Academy of Science, which will host the final summit in Australia.
Stay Connected
Stay connected with the RSC for live updates from New Zealand! For more information and links to our social channels, visit our website or contact Paige Beveridge, RSC Communications Manager, at communications@rsc-src.ca.
