An extra policy writer for your team, exactly when you need one

I help council managers deliver strategic documents when they don’t have enough policy writers in their team to get a project across the line. Bring me in at the start, or midway through to get it over the finish line.

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Debra Bradley, policy writer for New Zealand councils

What I do

You’ve got a strategic document on your plate – an AMP, a strategy, a plan or a report – and the deadline isn’t moving. Your technical experts know the content inside out, but turning their knowledge into a clear, decision-ready document is a different skill. Or maybe you’re just one policy adviser short of where you need to be, and it’s putting too much pressure on the rest of the team.

You might be feeling some version of this:

  • Things keep slipping because no one has clear air to focus on the writing.
  • You’ve got the right people for the technical thinking, but the document needs structure, judgment, and a writer’s eye.
  • You can see AI could help, but you don’t have time to figure out how to use it well – and you don’t want your team experimenting their way through a high-stakes document.
  • You want to feel confident when sharing and discussing a document with your senior managers and elected members, not apologetic.

I’ve been a council employee, and I’ve spent the last twelve years writing for the local government sector. I know what good looks like, how to take account of legislative requirements, and how to move through all the steps from an idea to an adopted document.

Testimonials

“I want to acknowledge your superb analytical skills, ability to hone in on the issues and easy report writing style. A pleasure to read. The recommendations are spot on.”
Clare BartonGroup Manager Environmental Management, Nelson City Council
Debra’s workshop was a fantastic introduction to understand and explore the ways that we can use AI to support our work. While I had already been using AI from time to time, Debra’s structured approach for writing prompts has really allowed me to understand how to interrogate AI faster and with more accuracy as well as broadening my horizons about what AI can be useful for.
Shireen MundayMunday Consulting

How I got here

I started out as a journalist in Hamilton, then moved to Nelson and worked at Nelson City Council for 19 years – first as a planning assistant coordinating the consultation process for the Nelson Resource Management Plan, then as a senior policy planner working on freshwater provisions, and eventually as a planning adviser developing bylaws, activity management plans and reports, and editing pretty much everything that came across my desk.

For a long time I described myself as “a writer in a planner’s outfit.” When I was working in resource management, I didn’t have the zeal for regulation that some of my colleagues had. But the moment I shifted into strategic planning, I breathed easier. Developing policies, strategies, AMPs and bylaws came naturally to me. So did editing other people’s work and helping them say what they actually meant.

In 2014 I founded Writing for Councils, and I’ve been doing this work ever since for a wide range of organisations, including Auckland, Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, Tasman, Selwyn, Whanganui, Wellington, Porirua, Kāpiti Coast, Matamata-Piako, Waikato, Kaipara, and Northland councils.

Then at Christmas 2023, my sister-in-law asked me how AI was going to affect my work. I didn’t know. I hadn’t even tried it. That question stayed with me, and in 2024 I started learning about how AI could enhance my work. I continue to learn from two mentors who are ahead of me (Ed Gandia and Cathy Topping). I’m always figuring out new ways to apply these skills to my work developing reports, strategies, policies, plans and community engagement processes for councils.

What I’ve found is that AI doesn’t replace my thinking – instead, it supports the more laborious stages of the writing process and frees up mental space for me to consider new ideas and options that I might not come up with on my own. When it’s used well, it can be an incredibly valuable thought partner.

A bit about my background

  • BA double major in Biology and English Literature (University of Waikato)
  • BA (Hons) in English Literature (University of Waikato)
  • Diploma in Journalism (Auckland Institute of Technology)
  • Diploma in Environmental Studies (Open Polytechnic of New Zealand)
  • Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing (Whitireia New Zealand)
  • Nineteen years at Nelson City Council in resource management and strategic planning roles.
  • Twelve years running Writing for Councils

Next steps

I’d love to hear from you if you need to make progress on a document – or your team could benefit from using AI more effectively. Give me a few details and I’ll be able to tell you whether I can help, and what that would look like.

Email: debra.bradley@writingforcouncils.co.nz

Phone: 021 215 4698

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