Rural collaboration
that works
Within people. Through communities. Across systems.
Lasting change – where land, water and people can thrive.
The hard yards
Across rural Aotearoa, people are doing the hard yards — caring for land, livelihoods and legacy through constant change.
The effort's there. The commitment's there.
But today’s challenges can’t be solved alone.
What's often missing are shared ways that make collaboration real - and the human skills to stay steady under pressure.
We help build both.
What we do
We work alongside rural groups to strengthen how they work together - especially when pressure is high and the way forward isn’t obvious.
That means staying with what’s difficult, together, rather than going it alone, and making sure those closest to the work are heard.
That builds the resilience to act, adapt and keep moving as conditions change.
We work in two ways
In the Field
We come to you - facilitating the conversations, agreements and decisions that enable groups work through complexity and take the next steps.
The kind that lasts, long after we’ve
left and you’ve forgotten our names.
Learning Community
A practical learning space for people quietly powering rural change.
Learn alongside others doing similar mahi, bring real challenges, test new approaches and build your facilitation skills over time - with expert coaching and peer support.
A different approach
Real change starts from the
ground up
We work with what's already there: the knowledge, relationships and what people care most about. Our approach is grounded in behavioural science, proven design principles and practical tools that work.
Like the soil, what's underneath makes things grow — the trust and safety that let collaboration take root. We dig a little deeper to cultivate these foundations, for when the roadblocks hit.
Research confirms our approach
While programmes get funded and workshops get counted, behaviour change often goes unmeasured.
We evaluate what we do, measuring what matters — giving councils, funders and agencies the evidence to direct resources where they'll make a real difference.
When the human foundations are strong, communities thrive — along with the land and water they care for.
Who we are
We are farmers, facilitators, coaches, psychologists, and systems thinkers who understand rural life and how groups work.
Within Works is guided by our Advisory Board, and strengthened through partnership with ProSocial World, a non-profit advancing practical, evidence-informed methods that help teams, organisations and communities work together more effectively.