Strategic consulting
Jane works with organisations to develop workforce strategies that are grounded in evidence, shaped by context, and designed to be implemented - not shelved.
Her consulting draws on her doctoral and post-doctoral research into workforce sustainability, extensive operational leadership experience (including as Director of Allied Health for one of Aotearoa’s most rural health districts), and a social work lens that consistently examines how systems, power structures and organisational cultures affect the people working within them.
Jane is particularly sought out by organisations navigating complexity; those grappling with persistent workforce shortages, designing new roles or service models, or working to shift existing workforce models – and the people within them – from traditional approaches to ones that better meet the needs of their communities.
How Jane can help
Connect with meWorkforce planning and design
Evidence-based approaches to understanding workforce supply, demand and sustainability, with particular expertise in rural, regional and allied health contexts. Jane helps organisations move beyond headcount to understand the systems, structures and cultures that shape workforce outcomes.
Recruitment and retention strategy
Drawing on doctoral research into what actually keeps health professionals in their roles and communities, Jane helps organisations design recruitment and retention approaches that address root causes rather than symptoms, including the role of belonging, professional identity and safe practice environments.
Role development and scope optimisation
Supporting organisations to design roles that attract skilled professionals, enable them to work to their full scope, and respond to the actual needs of communities they serve. Jane brings particular expertise in allied health role design, staffing methodologies and rural generalist practice.
Organisational capability and leadership
Working with leadership teams to build organisational capability for workforce sustainability including governance design, cross-sector collaboration, and strategies for ensuring diverse professional voices inform decision-making.
Programme and sector strategy
Jane works with sector bodies, government agencies and multi-stakeholder initiatives to design and refine programme strategy, facilitate governance workshops, and support cross-portfolio collaboration.
Her approach ensures programmes remain aligned with their founding purpose and the communities they’re designed to serve.
Wendy Elwood, Runanga
Clients can expect
- Clear strategic direction grounded in evidence and context
- Practical recommendations designed for implementation
- Research-informed insights translated into language that resonates with practitioners and leaders
- Honest assessment of what’s working and what isn’t
- Frameworks and tools that organisations can continue to use beyond the engagement
- A consultancy experience that builds organisational capability
How Jane works
Jane’s consulting approach is shaped by her research training, her social work practice, and her experience as a senior leader who has sat where her clients sit.
Evidence-based and context-specific
Every engagement begins with understanding the evidence; both the published research and the local knowledge that organisations already hold. Jane doesn’t import generic solutions; she helps organisations understand their specific context and develop strategies that fit.
Collaborative and respectful
Jane works alongside organisations, not above them. She brings expertise, but she also listens to leaders, to practitioners, to the people whose daily experience reveals what data alone cannot.
Focused on clarity, practicality and impact
Strategies are only useful if they can be implemented. Jane’s recommendations are clear, specific and designed for action. She is direct about what the evidence supports, honest about what it doesn’t, and practical about what organisations can realistically achieve.
Equity-centred
Jane’s social work lens means she consistently examines how power structures, professional hierarchies and systemic assumptions affect workforce outcomes. She helps organisations see patterns they may not have noticed and design responses that address root causes rather than surface symptoms.
FAQ’s
Connect with meWhat sectors does Jane work with?
Jane’s primary expertise is in health, but her workforce strategy approach applies across sectors dealing with complex workforce challenges including social services, education, government and NGOs. Her consulting is informed by cross-sector experience in Aotearoa and internationally.
Does Jane work with both rural and urban organisations?
Yes. While Jane’s research speciality is rural workforce, the principles of good workforce design; belonging, scope, sustainability, equity apply everywhere. She often works with organisations that serve both rural and urban communities and helps them understand how addressing rural workforce needs can improve outcomes across the board.
What does a typical engagement look like?
Engagements vary depending on the scope and complexity. They might range from a focused one-day workshop with a leadership team to a multi-month strategic consulting project. Jane always begins with a conversation to understand what’s needed before proposing an approach.
"Jane provided thoughtful guidance, challenged my thinking, and helped me develop new perspectives to approach both leadership and operational challenges. Through her support, I gained greater confidence in my abilities and clarity in how I show up as a leader."
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