Strategy Development & Strategic Planning
McElrea Consulting helps organisations, councils and communities develop practical strategies that create clarity, establish priorities and provide a clear pathway forward.
We specialise in strategy development in complex environments, particularly where multiple stakeholders, competing priorities or significant community interests need to be brought together. Our approach combines evidence, engagement and practical strategic thinking to develop strategies that are ambitious, achievable and designed with implementation in mind.
What we do:
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Regional, economic and community development strategies
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Organisational strategies and action plans
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Investment Logic Mapping (ILM) workshops
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Strategic Doing workshops and agile strategy processes
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Facilitation of strategic planning with councils, boards, and leadership teams
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Alignment of strategy with mission, vision, and values
Our Approach:
Strategies are most valuable when people understand them, own them and know what happens next. We focus on strategy processes that create clarity around the choices that matter, build ownership among the people involved and establish a practical pathway from strategy to action.
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Investment Logic Mapping (ILM): A structured methodology widely used by government to clarify problems, benefits, and solutions before projects are defined. McELrea Consulting has used ILM to bring diverse stakeholders together around complex issues and identify clear, shared pathways forward.
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Strategic Doing: An agile, action-oriented approach for situations where collaboration is essential and no single organisation can deliver the outcome alone. Strategic Doing helps groups identify what they can achieve together and move quickly from ideas to practical action. McElrea Consulting is the home of Strategic Doing New Zealand, connecting local practice with the international Strategic Doing network. Learn more about Strategic Doing New Zealand →
Strategy built for action:
With McElrea Consulting, strategy isn't simply about producing a document. The goal is a clear, practical and co-owned roadmap that people can actually use.
Whether we're developing a regional strategy, facilitating an organisational planning process, using ILM to navigate a complex issue or applying Strategic Doing to a collaborative challenge, we design strategy with implementation in mind.
Already have a strategy and need help making it happen? Explore our Strategy Activation services →
Strategy in Practise
Queenstown Lakes Joint Housing Action Plan
McElrea Consulting facilitated the development of the Joint Housing Action Plan for Queenstown Lakes, using the ILM methodology to align stakeholders from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Kāinga Ora, three separate departments of QLDC, and the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust.
By clarifying challenges, benefits, and opportunities, we were able to build a shared framework for action across multiple agencies, ensuring collective ownership and alignment.