Powering up with PowerBI
At Rationale, we’re always looking for ways to sharpen our tools — especially when it comes to working with data in a way that brings clarity and insight to the complex decisions our clients face. Recently, two of our team members, Conor McLean and Benjamin Gonzalez, further strengthened their analytical capability by achieving the Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification.
What is Power BI?
Power BI is Microsoft’s leading business analytics platform — it allows organisations to bring together data from multiple sources, create rich interactive dashboards, and uncover trends that might otherwise stay buried in spreadsheets. But more than just a flashy tool, it’s a way to tell meaningful stories with data — the kind that inform strategy, support community outcomes, and drive good decision making.
So, what’s the certification all about?
The Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification is a globally recognised qualification that demonstrates capability in using Power BI to model, visualise, and analyse data. It covers the full suite — from connecting data sources and transforming data, through to building intuitive dashboards and enabling data-driven decisions.
For Conor and Ben, preparing for the certification meant brushing up on their technical skills, exploring best practice, and getting hands-on with real-world data scenarios — all of which directly align with the kind of work we are already doing for our clients at Rationale.
How have we been using Power BI so far?
While the certification is new, our use of Power BI isn’t. In fact, we’ve already applied the platform in a range of innovative ways, including:
District Plan Submissions
We’ve supported a number of Councils with their District Plan Reviews by building a digital consultation platform that transformed complex submissions into interactive dashboards. With AI integration and direct links to s42A reports, planners could quickly access, query, and interpret public feedback. You can see our most recent work with Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils here.
Reducing Water Loss through Smart Monitoring
Rationale has partnered with Wellington Water Ltd (WWL) to tackle water loss and manage supply risks through smart, data-led tools. We developed dashboards and forecasts using smart meter data and WWL’s Sustainable Yield Model to monitor leakage, and support weekly risk assessments. These tools have helped reduce the likelihood of severe water restrictions and enabled WWL to set meaningful targets and report progress to Taumata Arowai. This work shows how clear insights and collaboration can drive better infrastructure decisions and long-term resilience. More information found here.
Managing Operational Policy and Guidelines
Working with a central government agency to provide a digital solution to help them manage and report on their portfolio of operational policy. Turning static documents into a dynamic monitoring tool that supports continuous improvement across the transport system.
Water Charge Analysis
For a local council, we modelled future revenue options and pricing structures to support better water management for growing subdivisions. Power BI allowed us to run sensitivity analysis and provide a take-home tool to help that council promote further discussions and help with their decision making.
Transport Cost Models
Building a national-level cost model dashboard (actual vs delivered) to visualise the work programme data across New Zealand’s road networks. The dashboard enabled various levels of granularity, to compare cost, area, network length and other relevant classifications (e.g., One Network Road Classification).
Why it matters
This achievement is more than just a couple of shiny new badges. It signals Rationale’s ongoing investment in data capability, and our commitment to delivering insights that are not only robust, but accessible and engaging.
With certified Power BI capability now embedded within our team, Rationale is well positioned to tackle everything from long-term plan dashboards to infrastructure investment analysis. Building on our strengths in data storytelling, visualisation, and planning, we’re continuing to expand how we use data to support smarter, more transparent decision-making for our clients.
If you're facing a tricky data problem or want to get more value out of the information you already have, we can help. At Rationale, we’re always keen to explore how smart tools like Power BI can bring clarity to complex challenges — and turn data into something genuinely useful.
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