Published on 19 Aug 2025

Transforming Policy for Innovation: Policy Review

Projects
17 JODIE 1x1 PORTRAIT 1
Jodie O'Neill Strategy + Planning Lead (NZ) Contact me
15 JASON 1x1 PORTRAIT 1
Jason Carpenter Director Business Development (NZ) Contact me

We helped Callaghan Innovation streamline their policy landscape, creating a user-friendly framework that truly reflected their values and strategic direction. Callaghan Innovation faced a cluttered policy environment with 76 policies.

Staff struggled to navigate the policies, and the Board was concerned that the out of date policies were creating legal and financial risks. Callaghan Innovation also had a new strategic priority to ensure its policies integrated Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles.  

We completed a review and update of the policies – balancing technical requirement with user-friendly content. The refreshed suite of policies supports strategic alignment, established a foundation for ongoing quality improvement, and ensured legal and financial risks were well managed.

A Roadmap to Clarity

We approached this project through a structured four-phase process: 

 

  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Deep listening - we conducted 26 interviews with policy owners and subject matter experts to understand pain points and aspirations.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Robust assessment - we developed a multi-criteria framework to evaluate each policy's effectiveness covering; strategic alignment, user experience, Te Tiriti o Waitangi integration, alignment with Te Ao Māori, and maintenance processes.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Evidence-based analysis - our assessment revealed most policies had low alignment with strategic direction. 79% of applicable policies could be better strengthened to show further alignment with Te Tiriti principles.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Targeted transformation - we rewrote the existing 76 policies into 18 cohesive policies and templated three more, weaving Te Ao Māori principles throughout.
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Delivering more than documents: 21 policies that drive action

Our work delivered immediate benefits meaning that staff had easy-to-navigate policies that enabled informed decision-making. 

  • Streamlined content - we consolidated 76 policies into 21 cohesive, user-friendly documents. 

  • Strategic Clarity - each policy now clearly link to Callaghan Innovation's objectives. 

  • Cultural Responsiveness - we integrated te ao Māori principles into the policy suite in line with Callaghan's strategic direction. 

  • Sustainable Governance - we established clear ownership structures with specified team owners, subject matter experts, review dates and approval requirements. 

  • Ongoing Support - we delivered assessment guidance, a policy matrix and templates for independent maintenance. 

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