Stories
What changed at these councils, and how.
How councils across Aotearoa are lifting capability, reshaping their organisations and getting ready for what comes next.
Palmerston North City Council · Leadership Development
E Tū Kahikatea: 120 leaders through one programme, as one wave
The challenge. 120 people leaders across every tier and function, three leadership frameworks to bring to life, and a Chief Executive clear that a staggered rollout would create a two-speed organisation.
What we did. A bespoke five-module programme, its name gifted by Rangitāne o Manawatū, grounded in te ao Māori and the EQ-i 2.0 model, delivered to all 120 leaders at once across seven cohorts.
The outcome. One shared leadership language across the whole council, a 9.3 out of 10 programme rating, and a measurable lift in the conversations kaimahi have with their leaders.
120
people leaders, delivered as one wave
9.3/10
overall programme rating
Leaders are having conversations with their teams in meaningful ways that I hadn't seen before. People are actively listening to the things that matter most to their people.
Waid Crockett, Chief Executive, Palmerston North City Council
District council · Organisation Design
Redesigning a council for a district growing faster than its structure
The challenge. Explosive population and visitor growth stretching every service, with a structure built for a smaller district and a tight rates envelope.
What we did. A whole-of-organisation design review: diagnose, design, test, plan. New operating model, clearer accountabilities, and a change plan the executive could stand behind.
The outcome. A structure matched to demand, faster consenting workflows, and a leadership team aligned on where the organisation is heading.
One
endorsed operating model and transition plan
100%
ELT endorsement of the new model
They listened first, tested everything with our people, and left us with a design we own. It never felt like a template.
Head of Organisation Development, district council
City council · Leadership Development
280 people leaders had a say before the first draft existed
The challenge. A council of around 1,500 staff needed a leadership capability framework and five programmes behind it, in wording its own managers would use in an ordinary conversation.
What we did. Five half-day workshops covering all 280 people leaders, a leadership conference to test the themes, and ten managers plus the organisation development team working through the drafts with us.
The outcome. One framework and five programmes, approved after three rounds of drafting, and enough trust in the design that facilitators could keep adapting content for each cohort.
280
people leaders shaped the design
5
leadership programmes, five days each
Managers recognised their own wording in the drafts. We never had to run a campaign to introduce it.
Capability Group, from the project record
Regional council · Leadership Development
One set of leadership models, from a first team to a directorate
The challenge. Leaders at every stage, from specialists about to take their first team to senior leaders running directorates. Each level needed something pitched at it, without the council ending up with two vocabularies.
What we did. A separate programme for each level, all teaching the same core models, built to the council's own leadership framework and the te ao Māori principles it works to. Long conversations in person, short work in between, cohorts that stay together.
The outcome. More than 300 leaders have been through. 85 percent of those surveyed said they were using what they learned, 86 percent expected to keep it up, and leadership effectiveness rose in the council's own engagement survey.
300+
leaders have been through
85%
of those surveyed are using what they learned
The programme reflects our organisation strongly and provides leaders with the skills needed to navigate the coming years.
Chief People Officer, regional council
Your council could be the next story.
We'll listen first.