Indigenous higher education governance is a fundamental element of diversity, equality and inclusivity at universities with significant indigenous student populations or stakeholder communities. Management approaches to establish inclusive governance mechanisms are complex and little guidance exists to support university managers to establish indigenous advisory councils. We document the creation of a university indigenous advisory council incorporating 11 indigenous nationalities. We assess the outcomes of that establishment process with the analytical lenses of participation and inclusion; accountability and rule of law; non-discrimination and equality; transparency; and mutual trust and respect. This study provides higher education policy researchers and university managers and with a clear roadmap to establish robust indigenous university governance. In doing so, we aim to empower indigenous leaders to create positive impact in higher education, contributing to high quality education and research for indigenous students and communities.