In just a few weeks, Te Rau Ora will help bring the World Indigenous Cancer Conference (W.I.C.C. 2026) to Aotearoa for the very first time. It is one of the largest kaupapa the organisation has ever been part of.

W.I.C.C. 2026 runs from 21 to 23 April at Te Whare Tapere o Manukau, Due Drop Events Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau. Around 700 delegates from more than 30 countries will gather to focus on Indigenous-led cancer prevention, treatment, and equity. The world is coming to us.

Our role and why we stepped in

Te Rau Ora is the Event Delivery Partner, working alongside conference host Hei Āhuru Mōwai, the national Māori cancer leadership group. The team is responsible for operations, logistics, communications, and delivery of the entire event. It is a significant step, positioning Te Rau Ora not just as a workforce development organisation, but as a credible delivery partner on the international stage.

Māori have a 20% higher cancer incidence rate and are twice as likely to die of cancer than non-Māori. Pacific communities face similarly disproportionate outcomes. These are not new numbers. They are the reason this conference exists.

When the conference needed a new delivery partner at a late stage, Hei Āhuru Mōwai CEO Anna-Marie Ruhe and Te Rau Ora Director of Innovation May Leanne Pritchard, with the approval of CE Riki Nia Nia, reached an agreement for Te Rau Ora to step in. The kaupapa was too important not to back, and Te Rau Ora, with its deep connections to the Māori health workforce, was well placed to help bring it home.

“We all have different strengths and goals within the overall kaupapa of hauora Māori, and opportunities to collaborate across the sector are valuable in many different ways,” says Anna-Marie Ruhe. “We are hugely appreciative of the support and expertise Te Rau Ora has brought to the organisation of the World Indigenous Cancer Conference.”

The journey and the team behind the mahi

The conference was originally planned for Rotorua. When the decision was made to relocate to Tāmaki Makaurau, Te Rau Ora Pou Tikanga Ikimoke Tamaki-Takarei guided the process of carrying the mauri of the conference from Rotorua to mana whenua in Auckland, ensuring the cultural foundations were honoured throughout. The new venue is a community-owned facility operated by Waka Pacific Trust, sitting in the heart of South Auckland and just 20 minutes from Auckland Airport.

Natasha Paku leads the project, supported by kaimahi from across Te Rau Ora working closely with the Hei Āhuru Mōwai team. “This team has navigated venue shifts, rebuilt momentum, and carried a huge workload with mana, humour, and resilience within an impossibly short timeframe,” says Natasha. “Their dedication to creating a world-class Indigenous cancer conference is evident in every decision, every spreadsheet, every late-night kōrero.”

What to expect

The full programme is now live, with close to 300 presentations across keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, and poster sessions, representing nearly a year of work led by Dr Kimiora Henare and the scientific committee. It is worth a read.

The conference opens on Tuesday 21 April with a pōwhiri to welcome delegates onto the whenua. Three full days of Indigenous cancer leadership follow. The Mauri Tū Mauri Ora Gala Dinner will bring together cancer survivors and their whānau as honoured guests.

Why this matters

Māori experience poorer survival outcomes across almost every major cancer type. This conference brings together Indigenous leaders who are working to change that. Being part of the delivery means Te Rau Ora is directly contributing to that movement.

“WICC 2026 will be something special,” Natasha says. “It will challenge thinking, strengthen connections across our Indigenous communities, and move us collectively toward better outcomes for our whānau who have been affected by cancer.”

Nearly 700 delegates are already registered and a very limited number of spots remain. If you want to be part of this, or know someone who should be there, head to heiahurumowai.org.nz/wicc2026 now. The project team can be contacted at wicc2026@heiahurumowai.org.nz.

ENDS

Te Rau Ora is a national Māori organisation committed to improving Māori health through leadership, education, research and evaluation, health workforce development and innovative, systemic transformation. For more information on Te Rau Ora, visit www.terauora.com

Contact for further information: Joshua Brown, Communications and Marketing Manager, Te Rau Ora joshua.brown@terauora.com | 021 274 7755