Embedding Sustainable Project Management in Local Government

Working alongside Leva Advisory, a New Zealand council's Zero Carbon team and project support office took a significant step toward embedding sustainability into the way projects are conceived, managed and delivered.

BUILDING A FOUNDATION

Leva's relationship with the council began with a P3M3 maturity assessment, which identified opportunities to strengthen governance, build internal capability and align project delivery with organisational strategy. Over time, the partnership evolved from assessment to transformation, including the integration of sustainable project management principles into the council's project management framework.

The organisation had already built a solid level of maturity within its project support function and was on a broader journey to strengthen capability and understanding across the wider business.

FROM COMMITMENT TO ACTION

Like many councils across New Zealand, the organisation had made a public climate commitment and set ambitious carbon reduction goals. Its internal sustainability team was focused on putting in place the mechanisms needed to operationalise those ambitions.

Leva and the council worked together to build sustainability considerations into the project management framework so that every project manager had the tools to consider environmental impacts as part of standard practice. This also gave sustainability specialists and senior leaders greater visibility across projects.

The result was the integration of sustainability into core processes, enabling project managers to assess and report on carbon implications without adding unnecessary complexity or paperwork. It also enabled senior leaders to make better-informed sustainability decisions.

DESIGNING A PRACTICAL APPROACH

To make sustainability practical and actionable, Leva worked with council teams to develop a digital Sustainability Impact Assessment tool in Microsoft Forms. Drawing inspiration from Green Project Management frameworks, the tool helped project managers identify potential carbon impacts and options for mitigation throughout the project lifecycle.

The design focused on usability for busy project managers, replacing complex spreadsheets with guided questions and drop-down options that generated a simple visual output. Pilot projects from areas such as transport, housing and water infrastructure were used to validate the approach through retrospective reviews

Integration and culture

The initiative was about more than tools; it was also about integration and mindset. By embedding sustainability into existing project templates and decision-making processes, the framework enabled departments across the organisation to engage with carbon considerations in a consistent way.

The approach also supported stronger internal collaboration, with a community of practice bringing together people from multiple departments to share lessons learned and build capability. Over time, sustainability became part of how the council worked together rather than a separate workstream.

Outcomes

Although the work was not driven by regulatory deadlines, the benefits were significant. The initiative elevated the visibility of sustainability and carbon reduction across the organisation, enabled collaboration around a fit-for-purpose project management framework, empowered departments to make measurable progress toward emissions goals, and created lasting capability that the council could continue to build on.

The council has since taken ownership of the tools and processes developed, iterating and expanding them to suit evolving needs. This reflects the kind of sustainable change that continues beyond the initial advisory engagement.

Partnership

Throughout the journey, trust and partnership were central. The council and Leva developed a relationship based on collaboration, respect and shared purpose, with Leva working closely alongside internal teams rather than simply advising from the outside.