NAIDOC 2026: 50 Years of Deadly
On 25 February, the National NAIDOC Committee unveiled the 2026 NAIDOC Week theme as 50 Years of Deadly as both a reflection and a declaration, acknowledging the generations of people, artists, activists and communities whose shaped strong, sustainable futures.
The 2026 theme holds particular significance for NAISDA, as 1976 is also our founding year.
Both organisations emerged from the same commitment: culture as living and contemporary; leadership led by mob; and learning grounded in Country, identity and community.
A deadly learning model
At NAISDA, this commitment has taken shape through a learning model unlike any other in Australia, developed, written and delivered by NAISDA, and led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural authority.
At its core is a curriculum substantially connected to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands, cultures and people, embedding the depth, diversity and complexity of Indigenous Knowings within a Western framework of arts education excellence.
Spanning nationally accredited qualifications from Certificate III through to Advanced Diploma, our curriculum provides cultural knowledge, creative skill and connection, essential to the growth and autonomy of young people and to the strength of the First Nations arts sector.
The outcomes of this approach are clear. NAISDA’s average course completion rate is 90%, nearly double the national average of 49%, and almost three times higher than the 34% average for First Nations learners in other nationally recognised training programs. These results reflect a model where culture is not peripheral to learning, but central to achievement, wellbeing and self-determination.
Culture-led, community-connected
Culture sits at the heart of NAISDA’s educational philosophy. Units in cultural knowledge, history, systems, language and protocols are enriched through longstanding partnerships with Cultural Tutors, Elders and First Nations communities.
Through Cultural Residency and Repertoire programs, students travel each year to remote communities to learn on the lands, salt and fresh waters, bush and coastlines where song cycles, stories and dances originated. This reciprocity of exchange builds ongoing cultural strength and vitality, benefiting both students and our host communities.
No other arts training organisation offers this level of immersive, community-led cultural engagement. These experiences deepen cultural understanding, strengthen technical excellence, and cultivate the creative voices of emerging First Nations artists, innovators and leaders.
As we prepare to begin Term 1, NAISDA will start the year as it always has, with culture at the centre. In February, our onsite Cultural Residency brings together Cultural Communities and Knowledge Holders from Darkinjung, Dätiwuy Clan and Mua Island for the first time, representing the many mobs who have guided, supported and shaped our journey over five decades.
Throughout 2026, alongside NAIDOC, we look forward to reflecting, storying and celebrating our shared 50-year journey, grounded in the same principles of cultural authority, collective leadership and self-determination.