Meet Kimberley Hunter

My name is Kimberley Hunter; I am a proud Nyikina woman from the Martuwarra in the West Kimberley Region of Western Australia. I pay homage to my ancestors and old people whose strength, resilience and fight for justice have given me the opportunities I have today. I acknowledge the many lands, waters, stars and skies that have nurtured, protected and guided me into being and continue to shape me into the person I am becoming. I pay my respects to Kaurna Yarta where I currently live, work and raise my family. 

I hold a Bachelor of Applied Science (Occupational Therapy) and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health. I am a current board director of IAHA and have been an active member since 2014. In this time, I have attended every IAHA conference, engaged in multiple committees, represented IAHA at community events, participated in the Ultimate Student Leadership Challenge, and was honoured IAHA’s Future Leader in Indigenous Allied Health award. IAHA’s impact on both my personal and professional life has been immeasurable and is an organisation I truly value being part of. 

I hold the position of Design and Engagement Co-Lead at the Wiyi Yani U Thangani First Nations Gender Justice Institute at the Australian National University, of which our IAHA Patron June Oscar AO is Chair of. I am dedicated to the Institutes collective vision of advancing the rights, knowledges, and aspirations of First Nations women, girls and gender-diverse peoples as catalysts for systemic change. Every day I am guided by the matriarchal knowledges and practices of our women which weave together the social fabric of our existences and sustain vibrant, nurturing, reciprocal ecosystems.

I am also an Advisory Member of First Nations Futures, an organisation driving economic justice through redistributing wealth and power to First Nations community organisations. We build long-term partnerships with initiatives centring young people, climate action and cultural regeneration, prioritising those who are unable to fulfil their aspirations due to economic barriers, inaccessibility and discrimination. 

However, the most important role I now hold is mum to my one-year-old daughter Florence. This little girl has changed my life in the best way, transforming my purpose, grounding me in love, patience and strength I didn’t know I had. She is my guide for how I show up in every part of my life and inspires me to make the world a better place, creating a future of safety, joy, opportunity and possibility for all our babies. 

I share IAHA’s vision for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and future generations to be healthy, strong, thriving and self-determined. In working towards this, we all carry great responsibility, but we carry it together. Each and every one of our members play a critical role in making change real for our mob, from those working on the ground to those informing best policy and legislation. I believe in IAHA, our membership, our Secretariat, our Board, our strong cultural groundings and our collective leadership.

I believe it is important for IAHA to remain unwavering in our position as an influential Peak Body who carries the voices of our members and over 60,000+ years’ worth of knowledge of what good health looks like. For me, IAHA is a vehicle for change, and I want nothing more than to be part of that change. Thank you for considering my nomination, I look forward to walking this journey together as part of the IAHA family for many years to come.

Galia mabu