Matt Highway
Co-Director EIS
CEO NZARM
Innovation and strategy to help others
Embracing strategic challenges
...and providing big value
Regional and national scale strategy
Strategy and prioritisation at scale is a focus. Matt has developed national scale capability building programmes, policy responses and several regional council strategic approaches. Matt is particularly proud of a 2024 project, working alongside Auckland Council experts to develop their rural water strategy and prioritization tools.
Profitable and sustainable not-for-profits
Since 2021, Matt has had a contracted part time role as CEO of the New Zealand Association of Resource Management. His passion is in supporting others to do awesome things, and NZARM really does amazing work in natural resource management. "Matt's strategic approach and ability to partner and inspire others has turned us around and has enabled this crucial NZ institution a sustainable future" - Peter Manson NZARM President.
Growing strategic approaches
Strategy is one of those things you can always learn from others no matter how advanced in your career. Matt enjoys listening to his teams experience and how other organizations undertake strategy. He has developed approaches and tools, both strategic and tactical in nature. The below link is a video about a strategic tool that has been implemented many times in our team. While the technique below is one short example, the key for Matt is to match each strategy to the challenge at hand.
Innovations, digital tools and scalable solutions
...making shiny things that solve problems
Capability building
Developing people is a passion for Matt. Matt trains other professionals in environmental management, leadership and strategy. On behalf of NZARM he has implemented a large scale capability project which includes capability assessment, a mentoring system and a range of learning techniques. Matt currently mentors early career professionals and leads the natural resource management mentoring network.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Being part of teams and working with awesome people is super rewarding, especially because we can achieve so much together. Matt has lead teams from environmental policy, engagement, environmental change, and tool development. Matt is CEO of a not for profit with 600 members and is co-director with Amy at EIS.
Decision support tools
Matt has develop lots of decision support tools, predominantly around making informed environmental decisions. His most rewarding project was in the 2010s (at a time when online digital tools were scarce), developing an online waterway management tool for around 6000 users. Since then, Matt builds digital support tools into the majority of his projects, including for catchment groups, regional authorities, not for profit groups and free tools that can be found on the EIS website.
Catchment management
...large scale natural resource management
Catchment planning
After decades of catchment management, supporting others to meet large scale collective objectives, Matt has never been busier in this field. New GIS tools and evidence based planning approaches mean we can reach catchment goals faster than ever before.
Actions at catchment scale
We not only build catchment plans, but support implementation of actions. Matt's early career included building detention bunds, constructed wetlands, managing riparian areas and soil conservation. Implementation is still one of the most crucial and challenging aspects of catchment management.
Training and Education
Training has become a bigger part of Matt’s portfolio. He is involved in training the next generation of catchment managers, and he mentors natural resource managers through his role at NZARM.
