50 Years of Deadly: Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2026 and Our Reconciliation Journey

NAIDOC Week 2026 (5–12 July) carries a theme that deserves to be celebrated: 50 Years of Deadly. 

For five decades, NAIDOC Week has been a platform for truth-telling, pride, and the enduring strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures, and communities. This year’s theme is a tribute to every Elder, advocate, artist, community leader, and young person who has carried this movement, and continues to do so. 

At New Horizons, we are proud to mark this milestone, not just as observers, but as an organisation committed to walking alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in a meaningful, ongoing way. 

What NAIDOC Week means to us 

At New Horizons, we believe in genuine partnership with First Nations communities. Our programs are built on respect for cultural knowledge and are designed to empower individuals and families. We know that culturally safe, responsive support isn’t optional: it’s essential. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for us to reflect on how well we’re doing that, and where we can do better. 

It’s also a time to celebrate. To acknowledge the richness and diversity of First Nations cultures. To listen to stories. To learn. And to commit, again, to a future built on respect and genuine partnership. 

Our Reconciliation Action Plan 

At New Horizons, we believe in genuine partnership with First Nations communities. Our programs are built on respect for cultural knowledge and are designed to empower individuals and families. We know that culturally safe, responsive support isn’t optional: it’s essential. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for us to reflect on how well we’re doing that, and where we can do better. 

It’s also a time to celebrate. To acknowledge the richness and diversity of First Nations cultures. To listen to stories. To learn. And to commit, again, to a future built on respect and genuine partnership. 

Our Reconciliation Action Plan 

We are thrilled to share that New Horizons’ Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is at the Innovate stage and has received conditional approval. We are so close to the finish line. 

For those who aren’t familiar, Reconciliation Australia’s RAP program provides a framework for organisations to take meaningful, practical action toward reconciliation. The Innovate RAP stage is for organisations who have moved beyond awareness and are embedding reconciliation into the way they operate: in their policies, their partnerships, their culture, and their day-to-day work. 

Getting here has been a genuine team effort. Our RAP Working Group has dedicated significant time, thought, and care to developing commitments that are real, not just words on a page. They’ve asked hard questions, listened carefully, and pushed us to go further. We are deeply grateful for their work, and we can’t wait to begin implementing everything they’ve built. 

Receiving conditional approval is a meaningful moment. It tells us we’re on the right track, and it gives us a clear path to the finish line. 

In Conversation with Krystal Donovan, New Horizons First Nations Ambassador 

What does NAIDOC week mean to you?  

It’s about community, connection and culture. NAIDOC week is about walking alongside us for the last 50 years, showing the resilience of First Nations people and be able to celebrate culture.  

What events will you be participating in?  

This year is a bit different for New Horizons because of the RAP committee and really reaching out to all our regions. We’ve had every region involved in a NAIDOC event this week. This is a huge achievement to show our community and to show we’re warm and inviting to all.  

I’ll be in Tweed doing a flag raising ceremony and then have events in Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, and Port Macquarie.  

You also get to reflect on your own journey and where you are. One of the biggest things I’m trying to promote this year is having an activity highlighting Australian tribes and getting staff to engage in storytelling on where they landed in community and what part of country they come from. 

We’ve also been prioritising New Horizons merchandise to donate to elders to show our commitment to elders because we want to uplift elders’ involvement in New Horizons.  

Tell us about the New Horizons Reconciliation Action Plan?  

It’s a huge achievement because I’ve been waiting for this!  Part of our RAP is working towards our sphere of influence by region and what that looks like internally and externally. We need to ensure we have allies within our community and foster those partnerships with Aboriginal organisations.  

What Comes Next 

Once our RAP receives full approval, we will share our commitments publicly and begin the work of bringing them to life across our organisation. This will include actions relating to relationships, respect, and opportunities: the three pillars at the heart of every RAP. 

We’ll be transparent about our progress, honest about where we have more to learn, and accountable to the communities and people who this work is ultimately for. 

Reconciliation isn’t an event. It isn’t a week, or a document, or a checkbox. It’s a long-term commitment to changing the way we think, the way we work, and the way we relate to one another. NAIDOC Week reminds us of that, and of how much there is to celebrate along the way. 

Join Us This NAIDOC Week 

We encourage everyone in our community — staff, participants, families, and partners — to get involved in NAIDOC Week 2026. Attend a local event, learn about this year’s theme, and take a moment to reflect on the land you live and work on. 

You can find events near you at naidoc.org.au. 

Related Stories