We facilitate change-making connections between local and central government, private businesses, and not-for-profit organisations. We create and carry out advocacy strategies to achieve the policy or political outcomes our clients want to achieve. Local government entities know and trust us, so we are the bridge between commercial groups and local authorities – often when they haven’t been able to speak the same language or resolve their issues.
We also support public and private organisations internally, through strategy development, organisational assessments and restructuring, governance and management advice and role facilitation, and conflict resolution management.
Simply put, we’re doers, problem solvers, and change agents acting in your best interest. Everything we do is based on principle, and we are driven by achieving outcomes – not just drawing out the process.
In their respective roles as President and CEO of Local Government NZ, Lawrence Yule and Malcolm Alexander formed a very successful working relationship.
Through the various projects they worked on together, which included restructuring and re-focussing the organisation for the betterment of the members, their individual skills and experience complemented each other well. In a true partnership, they led a positive, dynamic, and successful change process.
After Lawrence and Malcolm finished their roles at Parliament and Local Government NZ, they spotted a new opportunity. They started Yule Alexander in 2021, to create an offering that provided better value for money in a market where they are well-known and trusted.
Through our years of working together, and significant local government, parliamentary, and commercial experience, we have established a reputation as the people who get things done.
We’ve been around the block in our respective fields. We understand political processes and how the game works.
We’re astute, experienced, and pragmatic facilitators who give practical advice to get the results our clients need. We know how to manage large groups and multiple stakeholders, and are politically shrewd. We’re able to work with everyone because we have the insight to understand different perspectives. We’re well-connected across the political spectrum, both in Wellington and throughout New Zealand, and have a huge network of skilled experts to call on.
People, businesses, and organisations call us to work with them because they know and trust us. Now we’re growing our company so we can bring the right expertise and experience to help even more people throughout New Zealand.
Yule Alexander stands apart from other advocates, through our partnership approach, political connectedness, strategic experience, and honesty.
Partnership
We partner with our clients in the true sense of the word, and you can trust that we always have your best interests at heart.
We only back projects that we believe in, are proud to put our names behind and can give our all to. We start each project on common ground – with a fundamental agreement that your cause will bring a needed improvement. Then, we figure out the best strategy to move the dial and make a difference.
Connectedness
Public and private organisations see the value in working with us to advance their cause. We pair our experience and networks with political experience and commercial nous.
We have established enduring relationships, particularly in local and central government, to bridge people, businesses, and government with different perspectives.
Experience and Strategy
Simply put, local government and commercial interests work with us because we know what we’re doing. We’ve actually done the work before. We understand real-world processes and are completely independent, so we have the experience to answer your questions and give credible advice in real-time.
We also recognise the need for taking a long-term approach, particularly with changing local and central governments, and we’ll build that into our strategy.
Trusted and Honest
People across different political backgrounds trust us. They pick up the phone when we call because they know we’re trying to create a solution. We’re not going to play games, we’re upfront and frank, but are also courteous and respectful.
We will always give you honest and credible advice from the get-go, cutting to the chase quickly and potentially saving you a lot of time and money. It’s not our job to lead you down the garden path and charge you for the privilege.
Lawrence has extensive governance experience fostering strong relationships with Government Ministers, Members of Parliament, Local Government Mayors and Councillors, business groups, Māori, and the Primary sector.
Lawrence held the office of Mayor of Hastings District for 16 years and was the Member of Parliament for Tukituki for 3 years from 2017 to 2020. He also held the office of President of Local Government New Zealand for 9 years and was Chairman of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum for 6 years.
Between 2012- 2014 he sat on the Treasury Infrastructure Advisory Board and current sits on several charitable trusts.
Lawrence has a BE (Hons) Canterbury University, is a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Engineers, a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, and a Member of the Institute of Directors and is a respected advocate and relationship manager. He is a confident public speaker and presenter with significant media experience.
Malcolm has extensive governance and management experience.
Malcolm holds degrees in law and political studies. He practised commercial, competition, and public law in New Zealand and in London. He graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Programme in 2008.
From 2012 until 2020, Malcolm was Chief Executive of Local Government New Zealand and led LGNZ’s management, relationships with its members and external stakeholders, and strategy and policy development.
Between 2004 and 2012 Malcolm was a member of Genesis Energy’s Senior Executive team, where he held the position of General Manager, Corporate Affairs, and was responsible for the company’s external relations, communications, business strategy development, and climate change and sustainability response. Before that, he was General Manager Market Services at M-co Limited and was responsible for governance of New Zealand’s wholesale and retail electricity markets.
He was a member of the Board of the New Zealand Council for Infrastructure Development between 2008 and 2012 and was the Independent Chair of the Telecommunications Carriers’ Forum between 2002 and 2008. He was a Board member of the Aotearoa Circle between 2017 and 2019. He currently is Chairman of The Horowhenua Company Limited which is responsible for economic development programmes in the Horowhenua District.
The Situation
The present Government’s Three Waters plan, which proposes to restructure water delivery across the country, has been almost universally opposed by the local government sector. A consortium of 31 opposing councils was unhappy with how their position was being communicated and managed. They wanted to come together to represent a united voice as Communities 4 Local Democracy, to influence the government to change its position.
Our Role
Communities 4 Local Democracy asked Malcolm to take up the role of project manager from start to finish, as well as create and lead their political and lobbying strategy. This involved bringing all parties together to craft a viable alternative policy. Once created, this new policy was unanimously accepted by all the councils involved. With Malcolm’s advice, Communities 4 Local Democracy proposed a widely acknowledged and credible alternative to the government’s Three Waters plan. This proposal would retain local authority ownership of those water assets, but would reform the sector to deliver better outcomes for consumers.
The Results
This project has placed these 31 councils in a much stronger position, established them as credible opponents, and forced the government to better justify their position in a way that has caused greater scrutiny by communities across the country. Communities 4 Local Democracy’s proposal has now been formally accepted by the opposition parties, and would be the preferred alternative if the government changes in the 2023 General Election.
The Situation
There’s a market operating for the price of carbon, as New Zealand continues to manage our footprint and reduce net emissions. The value of this market has increased significantly. This, in combination with the settings for offsetting these emissions via forestry land, has made transferring existing farmland into forestry much more profitable. In fact, carbon credits can return almost double what sheep and beef farming would achieve on the same land.
Our Role
Sixteen local authorities, Local Government New Zealand and Beef + Lamb NZ, commissioned Lawrence to provide policy and political strategy support to figure out the best way to sensibly manage this trend. This involved understanding the long-term implications of the land use, while respecting people’s rights to use their land as they see fit. Under Lawrence’s guidance, the group has had significant engagement with the sector, including with government ministers, opposition parties, councils, and landowners. Yule Alexander held two successful webinars, each attracting over 100 attendees who have an interest in the issue and are looking to find the right path forward. We also reviewed the government’s RMA option, which would give councils consenting authority on Class 1-5 land.
The Results
While this continues to be an ongoing issue, Lawrence has successfully led disparate parties to collaborate effectively on what is a very complicated issue. Their collective input has already made an impact. For example, one of the aspects we raised concern for was the use of exotic forestry in the permanent forest category. Our research showed that people would ‘plant and walk away’, meaning they would plant exotic trees to collect the carbon credits and then simply leave the forest. The government listened and understood our assessment, and as a result has come up with some solutions to the issue. These sorts of inroads have been achieved, in part, due to Lawrence’s strategy to take a collaborative and non-aggressive approach in such a complicated long-term policy.
Lawrence continues to work with the group and consult with both major political parties about ways to fix the current issues. The next phase of work will be managing the group’s position around the government’s RMA consenting issues.
The Situation
Governance New Zealand is a membership organisation which has been operating for over 100 years. They were looking to overcome a number of challenges, including a declining membership base. The Board knew they needed to make impactful changes. Malcolm was engaged to carry out a comprehensive assessment of their organisational strategy, and to then propose and execute the necessary changes.
Our Role
Malcolm provided a complete package of support. He diagnosed areas for improvement, as well as assessed their clause, strategy and business execution. He then developed a restructuring plan, and executed it. This involved making decisions such as selling the organisation’s commercial property in the Auckland CBD, restructuring staff, creating a new CEO position, and assisting with the recruitment process.
The Result
With Malcolm’s guidance, Governance New Zealand has responded to their challenges. They started better utilising their capital by moving away from an underperforming commercial property, and moving to remote workspaces. In doing so, they’ve also opened up their geographical reach and reduced operational costs. The organisation has also bolstered its value proposition and support offering for members. They’ve reinvigorated their focus on offering valuable education and training, and strengthened their Women on Boards brand which provides an accessible and practical forum for women to support each other’s growth in their governance work.
The Situation
The present Government’s Three Waters plan, which proposes to restructure water delivery across the country, has been almost universally opposed by the local government sector. A consortium of 31 opposing councils was unhappy with how their position was being communicated and managed. They wanted to come together to represent a united voice as Communities 4 Local Democracy, to influence the government to change its position.
Our Role
Communities 4 Local Democracy asked Malcolm to take up the role of project manager from start to finish, as well as create and lead their political and lobbying strategy. This involved bringing all parties together to craft a viable alternative policy. Once created, this new policy was unanimously accepted by all the councils involved. With Malcolm’s advice, Communities 4 Local Democracy proposed a widely acknowledged and credible alternative to the government’s Three Waters plan. This proposal would retain local authority ownership of those water assets, but would reform the sector to deliver better outcomes for consumers.
The Results
This project has placed these 31 councils in a much stronger position, established them as credible opponents, and forced the government to better justify their position in a way that has caused greater scrutiny by communities across the country. Communities 4 Local Democracy’s proposal has now been formally accepted by the opposition parties, and would be the preferred alternative if the government changes in the 2023 General Election.
The Situation
There’s a market operating for the price of carbon, as New Zealand continues to manage our footprint and reduce net emissions. The value of this market has increased significantly. This, in combination with the settings for offsetting these emissions via forestry land, has made transferring existing farmland into forestry much more profitable. In fact, carbon credits can return almost double what sheep and beef farming would achieve on the same land.
Our Role
Sixteen local authorities, Local Government New Zealand and Beef + Lamb NZ, commissioned Lawrence to provide policy and political strategy support to figure out the best way to sensibly manage this trend. This involved understanding the long-term implications of the land use, while respecting people’s rights to use their land as they see fit. Under Lawrence’s guidance, the group has had significant engagement with the sector, including with government ministers, opposition parties, councils, and landowners. Yule Alexander held two successful webinars, each attracting over 100 attendees who have an interest in the issue and are looking to find the right path forward. We also reviewed the government’s RMA option, which would give councils consenting authority on Class 1-5 land.
The Results
While this continues to be an ongoing issue, Lawrence has successfully led disparate parties to collaborate effectively on what is a very complicated issue. Their collective input has already made an impact. For example, one of the aspects we raised concern for was the use of exotic forestry in the permanent forest category. Our research showed that people would ‘plant and walk away’, meaning they would plant exotic trees to collect the carbon credits and then simply leave the forest. The government listened and understood our assessment, and as a result has come up with some solutions to the issue. These sorts of inroads have been achieved, in part, due to Lawrence’s strategy to take a collaborative and non-aggressive approach in such a complicated long-term policy.
Lawrence continues to work with the group and consult with both major political parties about ways to fix the current issues. The next phase of work will be managing the group’s position around the government’s RMA consenting issues.
The Situation
Governance New Zealand is a membership organisation which has been operating for over 100 years. They were looking to overcome a number of challenges, including a declining membership base. The Board knew they needed to make impactful changes. Malcolm was engaged to carry out a comprehensive assessment of their organisational strategy, and to then propose and execute the necessary changes.
Our Role
Malcolm provided a complete package of support. He diagnosed areas for improvement, as well as assessed their clause, strategy and business execution. He then developed a restructuring plan, and executed it. This involved making decisions such as selling the organisation’s commercial property in the Auckland CBD, restructuring staff, creating a new CEO position, and assisting with the recruitment process.
The Result
With Malcolm’s guidance, Governance New Zealand has responded to their challenges. They started better utilising their capital by moving away from an underperforming commercial property, and moving to remote workspaces. In doing so, they’ve also opened up their geographical reach and reduced operational costs. The organisation has also bolstered its value proposition and support offering for members. They’ve reinvigorated their focus on offering valuable education and training, and strengthened their Women on Boards brand which provides an accessible and practical forum for women to support each other’s growth in their governance work.