LOCAL GOVERNMENT & CCOS

Councils and communities

At a Marlborough Sounds Future Access Study public meeting

Communicating council priorities for their communities.

Public sector communication carries a particular responsibility. People need clear information to understand the issues, consider the options and participate in decisions that affect their own lives and others’ in the communities.

Effective engagement is more than publishing information. It means thinking carefully about audiences, anticipating questions, explaining complex issues in plain language and creating genuine opportunities for people to contribute.

Publik works alongside council and council-controlled organisation teams to bring structure, creativity and clarity to public communications.

Curious to find our more? Get in touch!

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Organising the opening of the Nelson Airport’s new terminal by Prime Minister Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, and the gifting of a Nelson Ring from Jens Hansen, 19 September, 2019

Meaningful engagement.

We help public organisations explain what is happening, why it matters and how people can participate in decision making.

Publik council and council-controlled organisation work has included:

Developing community engagement strategies.
Planning communications for important projects, proposals and public consultations.
Creating campaign concepts, creative direction and public-facing content.
Writing and designing consultation documents.
Producing newsletters and regular community updates on council channels.
Supporting media activity so important projects are well communicated to the public.
Joining the teams organising opening events and blessings.

With a full-service team across public relations, communications, marketing and design, we are ready to support your next engagement or communications project.

Here are examples of how we can help, or jump straight to just some of our previous client work.

ENCOURING PARTICIPATION

For more than a decade we have worked with local councils and organisations to primarly support their community engagement efforts, utilising our full-service team across public relations, communications, marketing, digital and design.

Scroll down to learn more about some of the work we have done.

STRATEGIC PLANNING
Communications and marketing strategies:
- Communications plans for a project’s construction journey, major announcements and developments.
- Engagement plans to encourage engagement of stakeholders and communities in consultation processes.
- Crisis comms planning and implementation (as trusted advisors on your team).
- Stakeholder engagement: Government relations, shareholder relations and more.
Pictured: The Waimea Community Dam in operation, 2025
WEBSITE AND DIGITAL
New website builds, refreshes and management:
- New website developments that improve user experiences for the public, members and staff.
- Website optimisations that ensure effective engagement and positive user experience.
- The latest techniques to ensure sites are optimised for, and found by, AI (in the right way!) as well as traditional searches.
- Regular structural and content updates.
Pictured: Tukituki Water Security Project website.
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION
Proactive and reactive social media management:
- Social media plans and content, underpinned by strategic intent and an understanding of information needs.
- Monitoring Meta (Facebook and Instagram), LinkedIn, YouTube and other social media accounts and assisting with timely responses to comments and community management.
- Planning, designing and producing cost-effective and strategic social media campaigns.
Pictured: Social media information tile for the Marlborough Sounds Future Access Study.
MEDIA RELATIONS AND MEDIA TRAINING
Achieving informative media coverage:
- Building relationships with reporters, writers and commentators, to keep them informed and to facilitate stories.
- Media relations support to project leads.
- Reactive responses to media on issues as they arise, in a dynamic media environment.
- One-off and regular media training for organisation or project spokespeople, to ensure they are ready to answer both the obvious and the tricky questions.
- Organising and accompanying media at site tours and official launches.
Pictured: Media tour of the storm-damaged Kenepuru Sounds roads in 2021.
INFOGRAPHICS AND GRAPHIC DESIGN
Turning complex details into easy-to-understand visuals:
- Creating simple graphics that tell the story.
- Producing animated explainers for complex topics and projects.
- Producing and updating infographics and fact sheets.
- Website and brand design.
Pictured: Telling the region’s water story visually in the Marlborough District Council’s Local Water Done Well public engagement document .
PUBLICATIONS AND PRODUCTION
Writing, editing and designing print and digital products:
- Annual Reports.
- Public engagement documents.
- Sector award entries.
- Write, edit and proof-read project newsletters as part of coordinated content plans.
- Design graphics to complement and simplify content.
Pictured: A Waimea Water Ltd Annual Report.
CRISIS COMMS AND ISSUES MANAGEMENT
Preparing you to be at your best, on your worst day:
- We work with you to prepare crisis communications plans aligned to the risks identified for your project or business.
- Being prepared means that you can bring your best, on your worst day, and prevent a crisis from creating deep reputational damage that lasts longer than the effects of the crisis event.
- We are on stand-by for our clients to support them through an emergency event or issue, around the clock.
- We can free you up from media engagement or other requirements, allowing you to focus on leading your organisation and stakeholders through an event.
Pictured: Mike Scott , CEO Waimea Water fielding One News’ questions about the rock issues at the dam site.
EVENT LOGISTICS AND COMMUNICATION
Organising stakeholder and public events:
- Organising central and local government site visits.
- Co-ordinating media on visits.
- Supporting public events with advertising and communications and media relations.
Pictured: Official opening of the Opāoa River Bridge, 2020.
VIDEOGRAPHY AND PHOTOGRAPHY
Capturing the journey and scale of your project:
- Briefing videographers and photographers on visual story-telling needs.
- Attending video and photo days to guide capture.
- Guiding video editing.
Pictured: Award-winning visual story-teller Tim Cuff on the Waimea Community Dam construction site.

STORIES FROM THE CHAMBER

Providing a full service - strategies, media relations, brand and design, community engagement planning and implementation - for the region’s decision makers.