Published on 29 Oct 2025

Designing the bridge between strategy and impact: building an intervention logic for the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Projects
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Dr Fiona Scott-Melton Performance + Impact Lead (NZ) Contact me
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Nick Leffler Organisational Design + Change Lead Contact me

Allen + Clarke partnered with Manatū Taonga to co-develop an ambitious new strategic framework - Te Rautaki o Manatū Taongi 2021 - 2040. At the heart of this framework is a carefully crafted intervention logic: a visual and conceptual bridge that connects the Ministry's strategic intent with the practical actions and levers required to deliver long-term cultural wellbeing outcomes for Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Traditional linear strategies were no longer fit for purpose. The Ministry needed a high-trust, high-impact framework grounded in systems thinking and designed for action. The intervention logic provided a foundation for internal clarity and external confidence. It has:

 

  • Equipped the Ministry to understand its influence on the cultural system 

  • Helped align operating models, capabilities and partnerships with desired outcomes 

  • Provided a framing for investment and resourcing decisions tied to long-term wellbeing

  • Created a shared language for staff, leadership, and stakeholders to engage in change. 

Connecting Strategy to Outcomes

Manatū Taonga needed a way to translate its renewed strategic vision into concrete, actionable outcomes. The challenge wasn't just about setting goals - it was about designing a clear logic for intervention that would: 

  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Define the Ministry's role in an evolving cultural ecosystem
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Identify how its work contributes to system-wide wellbeing.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Clarify which internal capabilities and external levers it could use to influence outcomes
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Demonstrate impact in a way that aligned with public expectations and government priorities.
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Building Te Waka Hourua's Intervention Logic

Allen + Clarke worked closely with the Ministry - particularly Te Kāhui Mataaho, Tier 3 Managers, and Ngā Uri o Kiwa - to co-design the intervention logic within the broader Te Waka Hourua framework. This work included:

 

  • Mapping the Theory of Change - we developed a detailed outcomes logic that sets out short-term outcomes, (e.g. increased cultural participation, sectoral collaboration) medium-term outcomes (e.g. a more inclusive, reflective and sustainable cultural system) and long-term outcomes (e.g. intergenerational wellbeing and cultural resilience). This structure clearly shows how today's decisions and activities set the foundations for future impact. 

  • Identifying key levers and enablers - the logic includes a comprehensive set of intervention levers such as system leadership and stewardship, treaty partnerships and cultural competence, policy tools, funding models, legislative changes, data systems and stakeholder engagement. Each lever is mapped to specific outcomes and supported by a set of enablers, ensuring a coherent pathway from action to outcome. 

  • Embedding Strategic Shifts - we articulated the critical 'shifts' the Ministry must make to enable the logic to function; from disconnected efforts to coordinated system leadership; from conservative approaches to visionary strategies; from fragmented outputs to integrated wellbeing outcomes. These shifts are not just technical - they reflect cultural, structural, and behavioural changes. 

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The Impact: Strategy that can be delivered

Throughout the course of the project, we developed the following key deliverables:

  • Te Waka Hourua: Theory of Change - a visual map of how strategic intent translates into outcomes. 

  • Outcomes Logic - structured across both short-, medium-, and long-term timeframes

  • Levers and Enablers Catalogue - showing where the Ministry can intervene and how

  • Strategic Shifts Diagnostic - guiding internal transformation aligned with the intervention logic. 

Interconnected coloured pathways forming abstract network diagram
Interconnected coloured pathways forming abstract network diagram