Central Plains Water Ltd
Embedding sustainability into long-term strategic thinking.
In 2023, I partnered with Central Plains Water to design and facilitate an organisation-wide engagement process that helped staff and board members identify the sustainability priorities most important to the organisation's future.
My approach
Rather than beginning with a strategy document, we began with people.
Before designing the engagement process, I undertook a detailed review of Central Plains Water's existing strategies, values, plans, and organisational documents. This initial analysis helped identify the sustainability issues most relevant to the organisation and informed the development of a bespoke approach tailored to its unique context, opportunities, and long-term aspirations.
Working closely with CEO Susan Goodfellow, I designed a bespoke engagement process to build a shared understanding of sustainability across the organisation and identify where staff and board members believed Central Plains Water could have the greatest impact.
The approach combined two facilitated workshops, one for staff and one for the Board, with a series of interactive activities designed to make sustainability relevant, practical, and personal. Participants explored the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, identified the issues they felt most connected to, and shared their perspectives on the organisation's strengths, opportunities, and future priorities.
Insights gathered through the workshops were synthesised into detailed reports that highlighted key themes, areas of alignment, and opportunities to inform Central Plains Water's long-term sustainability direction.
Creating a lasting legacy.
To capture the collective commitment of participants, every staff member and board member contributed to a collaborative Bead & Proceed artwork by painting beads representing the Sustainable Development Goals they felt most called to support.
These beads were woven into a bespoke mural that now hangs proudly within the organisation as a visual reminder of the conversations, commitments, and aspirations that helped shape the beginning of Central Plains Water's sustainability journey.
The influence of this work extended beyond the workshops themselves. Elements of the creative process were later reflected in the organisation's visual identity and communication materials, creating an enduring connection between sustainability, strategy, and the people who helped define it.
Perhaps the most unexpected outcome of this work was the way it became woven into the organisation's identity. Following the engagement process, Central Plains Water undertook a company rebrand, with elements of the new visual identity drawing inspiration from the painted beads created during the workshops.
What began as a bespoke process to understand the organisation's sustainability priorities ultimately influenced not only its future direction, but also how it chooses to represent itself to the world.