About Us

Overview

What we do is firmly grounded in our capabilities combining strategy, governance and public policy. We have a very real interest in organisational design and in governance – with a firm belief in "form follows function". We like to think of it as making sure that the organisational tools people use can play a very real enabling role in what they are trying to achieve. In taking this approach we have ranged across the structuring of government departments, Crown entities, local authorities, council controlled organisations, community and energy trusts, cooperatives and various forms of partnership. It's an approach which gives us a very strong capability in comparing and contrasting organisational forms.

It's also one which aligns closely with our strong interest in public policy and public management - again it's about getting the right tools for the job - sounds simple (and we try and make it so for our clients) but it can be very complex and requires very real in-depth experience to get it right. It's a particularly exciting time to be working in this area as governments, local governments and other sectors adjust to the global financial crisis, and the huge shift in the fiscal position of the governments of many developed countries including New Zealand.

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Our Work     

Most of our projects are with organisations undergoing major organisational change themselves, or in the environments in which they operate. The Our Work section of this website provides a more comprehensive coverage. Some recent examples include:

• Membership of a reference panel providing the strategic oversight for a major internal review by one of Australia's larger local authorities. Read more about this....

• Advising a group of local authorities on options for 'fit for purpose' local government in their region taking into account the rapidly changing demands on local government and local governance. Read report.

• Writing a think piece on the governance for New Zealand Fast Forward which the previous New Zealand Government's intended major investment fund for research and development in the primary sector. Read report.

• Substantial work on the future governance of the Auckland region, including an innovative approach to enhancing the role of local boards. Read our papers on the future governance of the Auckland Region. 

• Membership of the team established to undertake a review of the role and functions of local government for the Local Government Association of South Australia. For more detail ...

• Annual appearance as a keynote speaker at the Municipal Association of Victoria's yearly Future of Local Government Summit. See our paper on The Changing Role of Local Government.

Who we work with: our connections and networks

MDL is closely connected into an extensive international network of expert people and organisations with an interest in government and local governance. Amongst our most important connections are Peter McKinlay's role as director of the Local Government Centre at AUT University, the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (with whom we are a project partner), the Commonwealth Local Government Forum and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
For more detail ...