NMC has been engaged by the Town of Port Hedland to undertake the Hedland Plan, a timely and important piece of work that will refresh the Town’s long-term strategic direction through a refreshed Council Plan and a new Community Services Strategy.

Acknowledgement to Country

NMC acknowledges the Kariyarra, Ngarla and Nyamal people as the Traditional Custodians of the lands of the Town of Port Hedland. We recognise their strength and resilience and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

About Port Hedland

Port Hedland is one of Australia’s most significant regional communities. Around 17,000 residents call Port Hedland, South Hedland and Wedgefield home, alongside a large transient workforce supporting one of the world’s busiest iron ore export operations. It is a community shaped by industry, geography and the realities of remote service delivery, and one with high expectations for its future.

Why this review matters

The Hedland Plan comes at a pivotal moment. The Town is navigating significant organisational change, cost of living pressures and the demands of delivering services and infrastructure in a cyclone-prone, remote environment. Community feedback, including through the recent Community Sentiment Survey, has signalled clear expectations for progress and accountability. The Hedland Plan responds directly to that mandate.

The work will revisit the long-term vision for Hedland, test whether existing priorities remain relevant, identify emerging gaps and opportunities, and ensure the Town’s services, projects and programs are aligned to what the community actually needs.

What the Hedland Plan will produce

The Hedland Plan will deliver two key documents:

• The Council Plan will be a clear, measurable and practical expression of the Town’s long-term direction, informed by evidence and genuine community and stakeholder engagement.
• A Community Services Strategy focuses on community-facing service areas, aligning delivery to participation realities, community needs and organisational capacity.

Both documents will be built to support consistent decision-making and a stronger connection between strategy and delivery.

Our approach

NMC will bring together evidence, structured analysis and meaningful engagement with residents, businesses and stakeholders across the region. We are committed to listening to local priorities, understanding the operating environment, and producing a plan set that is community-informed, regionally grounded and built for implementation.