Community engagement insights, stakeholder engagement best practice and consultation tips 

In this blog, we explore why engagement can feel unpredictable in development projects and outline practical steps planners and developers can take to approach community consultation with clarity and confidence.

From journalism graduate to engagement practitioner, Grace shares what she’s learnt in her first 8 months at Mara. Her biggest lesson? Early, genuine community engagement changes everything. In this blog she reflects on the Sanderling Avenue project and shares three simple tips, listen properly, be human and ask for help. A must read for emerging communication and engagement professionals.

Most projects don’t stall because people lack expertise. They stall because conversations aren’t designed. This post shares practical insights on how good facilitation helps teams move from discussion to decisions, navigate tension and create alignment that actually sticks.

Wednesday 28 January is Global Community Engagement Day and provides a moment to reflect on how decisions that affect communities are made.  Strength in numbers – What it means for engagement in regional areas  This year the theme, “Strength in numbers”, is timely. Not because more voices automatically make things easier, but because complex decisions are rarely improved by being made in isolation. What strength in numbers really means   In engagement, strength in numbers isn

January is peak prediction season. Everyone is forecasting what will define 2026.   We’re putting it out there and making a few bold predictions of our own. Not about buzzwords or tools, but about engagement practices that will hold up this year and the ones that will quietly undermine projects.   It isn’t theory. It’s based on what we’re seeing across projects, clients and communities right now. What's actually changing in 2026. The biggest shift is away from scale and towa

Engagement stakeholder mapping sounds technical, but it’s really just about knowing who’s connected to your project and how to keep them in the loop. It’s best done before your project starts and updated as it evolves. Think of it as a living guide to help you plan, engage, communicate and avoid surprises along the way. For example: If you’re planning new infrastructure, talk early with nearby residents, councils and local businesses to understand local priorities, flag poten

The upcoming People’s Blockade at the Port of Newcastle is expected to be one of the largest climate protests in Australia’s history. Organised by Rising Tide , the 2025 event builds on previous years when thousands gathered at the world’s largest coal port on land and water to halt coal ships, attracting global headlines and widespread media attention. For businesses and organisations operating in or around the port, the scale of the planned action is a timely reminder that

You might have noticed we look a little different. New logo. Fresher energy. Same mild addiction to pink. After a lot of reflection (and some robust opinions about fonts), we’re ready to share a new chapter in the Mara story. This isn’t a total reinvention. It’s evolution — the confident kind. We’ve grown, stretched and sharpened our edges, but our purpose hasn’t changed: engage with purpose, make the complex simple and create change that sticks (and yes, sometimes sparkles).

True leadership in the energy transition is not about avoiding opposition, but anticipating it. Engagement is a practice of foresight: surfacing risks, inviting perspectives and building trust before it is tested. That is how projects become stronger, more credible, and more enduring.

The Hunter New Energy Symposium , held in Newcastle Town Hall on 21 and 22 May 2025, made one thing clear: this region isn’t waiting. The energy transition is no longer theoretical—it’s here, and the Hunter is on the frontline. But while technology and policy might grab the headlines, what stood out at the symposium was something less tangible, but far more important: how we work together . So, let’s talk collaboration. But not the feel-good, handshake and photo-op kind. Real

Improving community engagement: The key to successful infrastructure projects. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of effective community consultation in infrastructure projects why it should be considered as a strategic tool as part of any robust risk management approach give you our ten tips to improve engagement. Effective community consultation is an essential aspect of any infrastructure project, particularly when there are complex and competing needs. Whil