Doing good,
better.

We strengthen the systems behind public services so they work better for people.

We partner with governments and development organisations to improve public services and strengthen the systems behind them across the Asia-Pacific.

Catalpa is an international development organisation that supports governments to deliver—from strategy and service design through to implementation, capability building, and ongoing improvement. We bring together practical development expertise with the right mix of digital, data, and policy capability to help public institutions deliver results in complex, resource-constrained environments.

For nearly two decades, we’ve worked alongside ministries, agencies, and partners to build systems that are more reliable, inclusive, and responsive—particularly in health, education and skills, governance, and social protection.

Our teams combine program delivery discipline with human-centred design and technical expertise, so reforms are usable in practice, adopted, and sustained—not just designed.

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Services that work for people

We work alongside governments and partners to clarify the problem, co-design with the people who deliver and use services, and deliver in stages—using evidence to guide decisions. This keeps our work practical on the frontline, partner-led, and focused on outcomes that last.

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For nearly two decades, we’ve worked across the Asia-Pacific in 20+ countries, with teams based in Australia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Fiji—supporting health, education and skills, governance, and social protection.

What we do

Public service innovation that works in practice—designed with people, built with technical rigour, and adopted at scale across the Asia-Pacific.

Program design & delivery

Program design and delivery support

From concept to rollout—governed, practical, and built to stay on track.

We work alongside governments and partners to design and deliver reform programs—from early design through to rollout—so priorities translate into practical action. We support governance and coordination, workplanning, implementation oversight, and day-to-day problem solving, helping partners maintain momentum, manage risk, and achieve measurable results in complex settings.

SYSTEMS STRENGTHENING

Stronger systems and local capability

We help partners strengthen the systems that enable public services—operating models, processes, coordination, performance frameworks, and workforce capability. Our approach is people-centred and partner-led, building ownership with the teams who deliver services so improvements are embedded in day-to-day practice and sustained beyond the life of the project.

DIGITAL & DATA

Digital and data that enables delivery

We design, build, and steward digital and data systems that strengthen service delivery—from digital learning and GIS-enabled planning to public investment and finance systems, and digital health services—supported by dashboards and analytics that help teams make better decisions. We co-design with users and delivery teams, test early, and support rollout and continuous improvement so systems are usable in low-resource contexts, aligned with government ways of working, and set up for long-term operation, maintenance, and handover.

Featured projects

Governance

Papua New Guinea

Strengthening Public Financial Accountability in PNG

A national system that captures project and service data—improving transparency, accountability, and delivery of over $650M in development funding each year.

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Health

Education & Skills Training

Papua New Guinea

Improving Patient Care Through Digital Micro-Learning for Hospital Staff

An independently validated approach to delivering continuous learning to healthcare professionals in two PNG hospitals.

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Social Protection

Timor-Leste

Strengthening Social Protection for the Next Generation

A government-led social protection program that helps children thrive—by providing consistent support for nutrition, health, and learning in early life.

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