Published on 21 Aug 2025

Leading Policy Advocacy for Wellington Chamber of Commerce

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15 JASON 1x1 PORTRAIT 1
Jason Carpenter Director Business Development (NZ) Contact me
16 JEREMY 1x1 PORTRAIT 1
Jeremy Markham Senior Consultant Contact me

The Wellington Chamber of Commerce came to Allen + Clarke to provide strategic policy leadership to strengthen its advocacy voice for local businesses.  Our Director of Business Development, Jason Carpenter stepped into the role of Manager of Corporate Affairs to support the Chamber during a crucial period. Jason helped the Chamber to significantly enhance its influence on local policy decisions and better serve its business members throughout the Wellington region.  

We:

  • Delivered authoritative analysis and presentations on Wellington's draft Long-Term Plan directly to city officials, strengthening the Chamber's reputation as a respected policy voice. 

  • Implemented a data-driven approach to advocacy, through targeted business community surveys ensuring arguments reflected genuine member concerns. 

  • Successfully managed the dual responsibility of policy leadership and marketing oversight, creating stronger alignment between advocacy positions and brand messaging. 
Through strategic policy leadership and effective stakeholder engagement we support the Wellington Chamber of Commerce to establish itself as a more influential voice for the business community, delivering tangible policy outcomes that supported a stronger local business environment.

Strengthening policy voice for local businesses

When the Wellington Chamber of Commerce needed to strengthen its policy voice for local businesses, Jason stepped into the role of Manager, Corporate Affairs, joining the Senior Leadership Team to drive strategic advocacy initiatives. The Chamber faced a critical challenge: ensuring the business community's concerns were effectively represented in local government decisions, particularly during Wellington's Long Term Plan development. The organization needed sophisticated policy analysis capabilities combined with effective stakeholder communication to influence complex government planning processes. Business members were expressing frustration that their perspectives weren't adequately reflected in local government decisions affecting their operations and growth potential. Jason's approach focused on building a robust evidence base for advocacy while creating more meaningful connections between business members and policy stakeholders:

  • Policy Analysis & Representation - Jason conducted comprehensive analysis of Wellington's Long-Term Plan, identifying key impacts on the business community and developing strong, evidence-based positions that he personally presented to city officials. 

  • Community Engagement - Jason created processes to improve how specific business concerns across various sectors could be raised and shared, providing data-driven insights that strengthened the Chamber's advocacy documents and fed directly into central government processes. 

  • Stakeholder Relationship Building - Jason coordinated strategic events that facilitated direct dialogue between Chamber members and policy decision-makers, creating valuable opportunities for businesses to share their perspectives. 

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Aligning marketing with policy initiatives

A unique challenge in this role was simultaneously managing the marketing and design team while overseeing policy development. This dual responsibility required careful resource allocation and strategic thinking. Jason responded by piloting new approaches that better aligned marketing efforts with policy initiatives, creating more coherent messaging that reinforced the Chamber's advocacy positions across all communications channels. 

To ensure continuity of these successes, Jason provided comprehensive training to his successor, covering relationship management with key stakeholders, policy analysis methodologies, and effective advocacy techniques. This knowledge transfer ensured the Chamber could maintain its enhanced advocacy capabilities after his departure.

The outcomes delivered significant value to the Chamber and its members: 

  • Enhanced Policy Influence - the Chamber's submissions on Long Term Plans gained greater traction with local government, with several key recommendations adopted in final plans.

  • Operational Efficiency - the realigned marketing strategy reduced redundant efforts and created more focused campaigns supporting key policy initiatives. 

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Interconnected coloured pathways forming abstract network diagram

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