Walking with community. Building what’s next.
On November 11th, 2024, I sat with the Bunurong Board and Executive team on Country — papers out, hearts open, and a quiet sense that this day wasn’t just about strategy. It was about legacy. About alignment. About building something the community could truly benefit from. This wasn’t the start of the strategic vision work — it was the peak of it. We’d already spent four months walking together. Listening. Reviewing what was working and what wasn’t. Bringing people into the process. Unpacking the weight of governance. And now, we were here to do what Buneen does best: Hold space, ask the right questions, and make the path forward clearer — together.
Strategy, Done the Right Way
One thing I’ll never do is walk into a room and “deliver a strategy.” That’s not what we do at Buneen. Strategy isn’t a document — it’s a vision. And it’s not something you write in isolation. It’s something you co-create, based on truth, capability, and culture. A strategy is not a plan — it’s a clear direction, built by honestly assessing where your organisation is now and deciding, together, what it will take to grow. It’s about naming priorities for success, not wishlists. And it requires leadership — especially from the board. Because the board can’t just look forward. They need to look wide across the whole organisation. At where it sits now, where it’s heading, and what it will take to grow within uncertainty.
A strong board doesn’t plan for perfect conditions. They plan for change. They prepare for challenge and they lead with cultural integrity, not fear.
We used tools like SWOT and PESTLE, yes. But they weren’t corporate templates. They were reworked and grounded in our own ways of thinking — tools to build strategic clarity without losing cultural truth. That’s how we support self-determined governance — not imposed direction, but informed decision-making led by community.
It was all done through the lens of the SAFE Method a method that has been developed to build skills that focus on growth mindsets and emotional intelligence. Making sure the process was safe for:
Self → Every leader in the room felt supported to speak and understood they are valued.
Community → The strategy served the people it’s meant to and is built to strengthen community.
Organisation → The systems reflected cultural values, not just corporate needs, and creates a people centred space for growth.
The Day Itself
We held the session on Country — not in a boardroom. That mattered. The energy was calm, focused. People showed up not just with their titles, but with their commitment. Over the day, we gathered more than 240 ideas. We grouped them, debated them, sorted through them. What emerged wasn’t a slogan, it was a theme: Stronger Together. And it stuck — because it came from the people in the room.
From that process, the four Strategic Pillars were born:
Strong Corporation
Strong Bunurong
Strong Culture
Economic Independence
That’s what leadership looks like when it’s shared — and shaped by truth.
Two weeks later, we delivered the full Strategic Vision Report. But it’s not a document to file away. It’s a living framework — something the Land Corporation can work with, question, grow into, and own. This vision wasn’t handed down. It was built from the inside out, by the very people who will be responsible for leading it. It was presented at the first Elders Circle for input from them.
Why It Matters
This was more than a planning session. It was about healing. It was about structure. It was about an Aboriginal organisation reclaiming its future — on its own terms. What we’ve built with Bunurong isn’t just a strategy. It’s a direction. And it’s one that says: we’re not here to survive systems. We’re here to change them.
Let’s Walk Together
If you’re ready to do this kind of work — the deep, relational kind — we’re here. We’ll bring structure. We’ll hold space and we’ll help you lead from culture, not just policy.
Written by Shawn Andrews Director Buneen
📩 info@buneen.au
🌐 www.buneen.au
