Catalyst supported LGNZ to deliver accessible, self-directed learning that fits the demanding reality of elected members across Aotearoa.
Elected members give a lot to their communities. They make decisions about the roads people drive on, the parks they relax in, and the services their communities depend on. In more than 70 councils across the motu (country), they're working long hours, absorbing complex data, and making decisions that impact generations. Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is their national voice, providing influence, connection and support as councils navigate an increasingly challenging environment. As part of that focus, LGNZ offers bespoke professional development for elected members.
For years, that development consisted of overloaded workshops, paper manuals, and a one-size-fits-all approach to learning. This traditional approach did not meet the needs of learners from such differing backgrounds, locations, and levels of experience. Elected members range from first-timers navigating their first term to veterans in their second term and beyond, sometimes with decades of council experience. Tania Hawkins, Learning Experience Manager at LGNZ, led the refresh with a clear goal that was set for her by sector research: make learning flexible, accessible, and relevant.
LGNZ launched Ākona in early 2023 as its first dedicated learning platform for elected members. But the learning platform had significant limits, which only allowed for static modules of 30–45 minutes, which were hard to navigate. Elected members had welcomed the idea of online learning, but they didn't have 40 minutes to complete a course, and they didn’t have the confidence to navigate an unfriendly digital environment. Tania’s strategic approach was to set up stronger foundations for the learning platform, and then refine and expand the learning content to better suit learner needs.
LGNZ chose Tōtara as its new learning platform for its robustness and usability, and partnered with Catalyst for technical support. Tania shares, “I had worked with Catalyst and Tōtara before, so I knew where I was headed.”
Respect for and trust in the Ākona product grew across the sector, but there was still a large proportion of learners who were not engaging. Tania and her team were driven to reassess their strategy and seek to maximise Tōtara technology to further improve the user experience for their learners and engage elected members right from induction. So they set out to further enhance the product, ready for the new cohort of learners that would be voted in in October 2025.
The Ākona team attended one of Catalyst's community workshops on microlearning, a method for creating short, relevant pieces of learning content. The workshop validated LGNZ’s research, which told them that microlearning was the right direction. LGNZ asked Catalyst's Learning Solutions team to turn that direction into a plan.
With the 2025 local body election as a fixed deadline, and armed with user data from an extensive discovery process, the project kicked off in February 2025. LGNZ set out to:
Katherine Rayn, Learning Solutions Consultant at Catalyst.
Katherine Rayn, Learning Solutions Consultant at Catalyst, led the technical delivery throughout. The goal was to have learners focus on the learning and not notice the tool they were using. Catalyst re-configured the platform to LGNZ's requirements, built prototypes of key pages and workflows, and consulted on the content refresh, bringing specialist expertise in platform design and microlearning delivery.
LGNZ used those prototypes to gather feedback from elected members with different levels of digital experience, testing what was working and adjusting what wasn't. Those decisions shaped the platform around the learners, creating a consistent, intuitive, and low-clicks experience.
The foundations needed to set up LGNZ’s team for success for election cycles over time. Catalyst configured Ākona with clear rules and consistent structures aligned to LGNZ's requirements. No customisations were made to the underlying code to ensure smooth upgrades as the platform evolves.
Catalyst very quickly picks up on where our vision is and moves swiftly to get it done. It's like a safe pair of hands. It's a great partnership.
The same principles of designing for people carried through into the user interface. The layout was designed to resemble opening a folder, a subtle connection to in-person learning in the online environment. They’ve also included animation throughout to help guide members through the pages.
Ākona was also designed with psychological safety at its centre. Elected members told LGNZ through research that they needed a safe learning environment. The platform needed to meet the need to grow a culture of learning. Therefore, responses aren't monitored, and progress isn’t tracked.
Ākona re-launched successfully in October 2025 with every elected member able to access and engage with relevant and timely content when needed, on any device, at any time. Hosted on Catalyst Cloud, Ākona runs on 100% New Zealand infrastructure, which means data stays under New Zealand law, performance is not dependent on overseas data centres, and the platform holds under pressure.
The LGNZ Learning Team creates and updates content without requiring external support. It seamlessly blends into in-person training sessions, too. When legislation changes, LGNZ works with subject matter experts to create guidance for elected members. The team can easily create course content and launch Ako Hours, an interactive learning event where members have the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of industry experts. LGNZ uses the seminar registration and interactive calendar in Tōtara to run these sessions, which are recorded and stored in the learning catalogue and Ako Hours library.
The work that Catalyst has done to make Ākona easy to use has allowed us to respond to our sector.
LGNZ's research identified that barriers started before the election. Many people considering standing for council had no clear idea of what the role actually involved, and newly elected members’ expectations weren’t always matching the reality. Because of the strong foundations set up in the learning platform, LGNZ developed and launched a publicly available pre-election learning set that launched in June 2025. The content included the structure of local government, the reality of the role, funding and finance, and how to stay safe in a public-facing position. That learning package has now been woven into Ākona as baseline learning for every new elected member from day one.
After the election, LGNZ ran face-to-face mayor and chair inductions and a nationwide series of induction hui for elected members. QR codes were placed in physical induction materials linked directly into Ākona, turning every in-person moment into an entry point for online learning.
Tania reflects on the experience, "We used those face-to-face inductions as a springboard into the online learning environment. We made sure that the connection was there." Induction feedback was wildly positive:
Tania shares that Ākona is becoming central to staying connected, especially when new legislation is introduced and changes to the sector are being faced.
Newly elected members shared that having access to the learning content has given them the confidence and courage to confidently engage with experienced peers, and the content is “well-timed”. Long-term elected members have expressed their appreciation of learning that keeps them across the changes to the sector – and that keeps their skills and knowledge polished.
There is a complete picture of what ‘good’ looks like that has never been painted before.
Since the launch, Ākona continues to offer learning that focuses on the unique role of elected members:
LGNZ has a resilient and flexible foundation built to scale. The team is exploring new formats for training, including curated packages of learning targeted to specific industry milestones, creating industry-specific podcasts, and exploring other mediums to deliver training, building on the same foundations Ākona was designed around.
The success of Ākona continues to grow with the new pathway of NZQA-accredited micro-credentials(external link), designed for elected members in partnership with Victoria University of Wellington. The core topics are linked to Ākona, covering governance and leadership, finance and risk, and communication and engagement. The first round of micro-credentials begins in September 2026, and already has double the registrations than LGNZ predicted.
Catalyst is delighted to continue supporting LGNZ in improving and iterating on how LGNZ delivers content. If your organisation is rethinking how learning gets delivered, contact us to explore what the right approach looks like for your people.
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