Plenary 3

Wayapa Wuurk Workshop

Professor Maria Mackay, Certified Wayapa Wuurrk Practitioner

Wayapa Wuurrk is an Indigenous informed, earth based practice that supports wellbeing and planetary health through connection to Mother Earth. Led by Maria Mackay, a certified Wayapa Wuurrk practitioner, Wiradjuri woman, and Professor of Nursing, this introductory workshop invites participants to experience gentle movement, stillness, and reflection while connecting with the 14 elements of Mother Earth. Wayapa Wuurrk is open to all people and honours our shared identity as Earth people, fostering balance, presence, and care for self, others, and Country.

Keynote Speaker: Our planet

Future proofing children and young people’s nursing: caring for our planet to protect future generations

Professor Tracy Moroney OAM

The health of children and young people is inextricably linked to the health of the planet. Climate change, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss are no longer future threats—they are shaping the health, wellbeing and developmental outcomes of children today. For children and young people’s nurses, planetary health is a core professional concern, not an adjunct to clinical practice.

This keynote will explore how planetary health provides a critical lens for future proofing children and young people’s nursing, positioning nurses as essential leaders in protecting both child health and the environments that sustain it. Drawing on emerging evidence and practice, the presentation will examine the disproportionate impact of climate related events on children and young people, including respiratory illness, mental health concerns, heat related morbidity, food insecurity and displacement, and the implications for nursing care across acute, community and preventive settings.

The keynote will highlight how children and young people’s nurses can embed environmental sustainability into everyday practice—through advocacy, education, service design and leadership—while maintaining a focus on equity, cultural safety and intergenerational justice. Particular attention will be given to the role of nurses in supporting children and families to understand and respond to climate related anxiety, and in amplifying the voices of those most affected by environmental change, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

By reframing sustainability as fundamental to quality and safety in children’s healthcare, this keynote will challenge nurses to see planetary stewardship as part of their professional identity. Participants will be invited to consider how nursing leadership—at the bedside, in education, and at the systems level—can help secure healthier futures for children, young people and the planet they will inherit.