'Governance’ is about power, relationships and processes of representation, decision making and accountability. It is about who decides, who has influence, how that influence is exercised and how decision makers are held accountable. ‘Good governance’ is about creating the conditions for legitimate and capable decision making and for collective action about a community’s affairs. It’s about robust and accountable decision making at a collective level with transparent grievance processes that protect privacy. There is no single model of good governance by Indigenous communities, it is a matter of different structures and processes suiting different communities.

Nevertheless, whatever form of governance is developed, communities will face the same challenges if they wish to strengthen their capacity for good governance. There are universally accepted guiding principles to inform local governance building. These include the need for transparency, certainty of resources and authority to act, equity and fairness, flexibility and choice, internal and external accountability, procedures for appeal and redress, efficiency and effectiveness, legitimacy and mandate, participation and leadership, and strategic vision. This paper will briefly discuss approaches to capacity development for Indigenous leadership and good governance.