Amanda Millar & Co

1. Business Name: Amanda Millar & Company Limited (trading as amandamillar&co). Registered as a New Zealand Limited Company.

2. New Zealand Business Number (NZBN): 9429042277354

3. Company Number: 5943819

4. Date of Incorporation: 6 April 2016

5. Company Status: Registered (active)

6. Industry Classification: R900235 – Journalist (per NZ business registration)

7. Registered Office Address: 58–60 Oriental Parade, Wellington 6141, New Zealand (current since May 2021; previously 27E Falkirk Avenue, Seatoun, Wellington).

8. Physical/Contact Address: As public-facing on website: Ground Floor, 58 – 60, Oriental Parade, Oriental Bay, Wellington 6011

9. Website:

https://www.amandamillar.co.nz

10. Social Media: Active on Instagram (@amandamillarandco) – self-described as “a different kind of communications company… upfront, gets it done without spin”; Twitter/X (@MillarIAM) – Amanda Millar’s personal account stating “Director, amandamillar&co”; YouTube (@amandamillarandco); and LinkedIn (company page under “Public Relations and Communications Services”, 2–10 employees).

11. Shareholders: Amanda Kay Millar – 80% ownership (80 shares); John Augustus Mansford – 10% (10 shares); Tennessee Rose Mansford – 10% (10 shares). (All are Wellington-based; Amanda Millar and John Mansford share a residential address in Seatoun.)

12. Directors and Key Personnel: Amanda Millar is the sole director of the company (appointed 06/04/2016). She is the Founder and CEO, a role prominently stated on the company’s website. The firm’s team of consultants includes several former journalists and media professionals: e.g. Charlotte Shipman (ex-TV3 reporter), Juanita Copeland (former 3News journalist and past media adviser at the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority), Sharron Mihailoff (communications project manager), Sanele Chadwick (former Tagata Pasifika and Newshub reporter), and Tennessee Mansford (journalist and mindfulness trainer). These individuals serve as consultants/trainers, reflecting the company’s strategy of leveraging seasoned media insiders.

13. Major Clients: Amanda Millar & Co’s client base spans influential companies and public-sector agencies. Notable clients (as showcased on the company’s website and testimonials) include: Z Energy (major fuel retailer) – Z’s CEO Mike Bennetts attests that amandamillar&co “played a vital role” in improving the storytelling skills of his team; Chorus (telecommunications infrastructure) – the firm helped develop female leadership pipelines through Chorus’s “UP” programme; Rabobank New Zealand (agribusiness bank); WorkSafe New Zealand (workplace safety regulator); New Zealand Superannuation Fund (sovereign wealth fund); New Zealand Infrastructure Commission (Te Waihanga); Fire and Emergency New Zealand – training participants from FENZ described the amandamillar&co program as “one of the best… in recent memory”; Water Safety New Zealand – which thanked the firm for giving them “confidence and skills to take charge of our media”; Royal NZ College of General Practitioners (medical professional body); Les Mills International (fitness brand); Pathways Health (mental health services); NEXT Foundation (philanthropic fund), among others. The wide range of clients – from government entities to large corporates and NGOs – underlines the company’s reach across sectors.

14. Affiliations: Amanda Millar is a member of Global Women New Zealand, a network of over 400 women leaders across business and government. (Global Women has acknowledged Millar for “sharing her voice, expertise and platform” on issues like online harassment of women.) She is also listed as a speaker with Celebrity Speakers NZ, indicating her public profile. No formal lobbying association memberships are noted, and the company is not registered on any official lobbyist registry (New Zealand has no mandatory lobbying register as of 2025).

15. Political Engagements: While primarily a communications consultancy, Amanda Millar & Co has had involvement in political campaigning indirectly. Notably, Heather Te Au-Skipworth, a 2020 general election Māori Party candidate, disclosed paying for “Media Training (Amanda Millar & Company)” as an expense in her official Electoral Commission return. This indicates the firm’s services being used to prepare a candidate for debates/media, effectively a campaign consultancy role. Amanda Millar herself is a former political journalist but has no known personal political office roles.

16. Political Donations: None disclosed. There are no recorded political donations by Amanda Millar or her company in New Zealand’s public filings to date (the company’s influence is exercised via services rather than direct funding). In fact, the flow has been opposite – politicians or entities paying her company for services (as in the case of the Māori Party candidate above).

17. Government Contracts: Amanda Millar & Co has received government agency work. For example, it was included in the Inland Revenue Department’s list of suppliers for 2021–22, implying IRD procured its training services. Other public agencies like Fire and Emergency NZ and WorkSafe (cited as clients) have likely engaged the firm via contracts, although details of contract values are not publicly disclosed.

18. Ownership and Related Entities: The company is closely held by Amanda Millar and her immediate family (the Mansfords). Amanda Millar and John Mansford were also co-directors of Millar Mansford Limited (registered 2013, now inactive), suggesting a prior business partnership (possibly a family investment vehicle). John Mansford, aside from being a shareholder, works as a Senior Station Officer in the NZ Fire Service – an interesting linkage given Fire and Emergency NZ’s engagement with Amanda Millar & Co. There is potential for perceived conflict of interest in such overlaps, though no wrongdoing is implied.

Sources:

1. I Am Unlimited Limited – Company Information, BusinessCheck.co.nz, https://www.businesscheck.co.nz/ltd/9429042277354/

2. I Am Unlimited Limited – Registered Addresses & History, BusinessCheck.co.nz, https://www.businesscheck.co.nz/ltd/9429042277354/

3. I Am Unlimited Limited – Shareholders, BusinessCheck.co.nz, https://www.businesscheck.co.nz/ltd/9429042277354/

4. I Am Unlimited Limited – Directors, BusinessCheck.co.nz, https://www.businesscheck.co.nz/ltd/9429042277354/

5. OIA Response: IRD List of Suppliers 2021/22 (snippet), FYI.org.nz (Official Information Act request repository), https://fyi.org.nz/request/22741/response/87701/attach/5/Gibson%20Shane%20IR%2001%2023%2014324%20Response%20List%20of%20suppliers%202021%2022.xlsx

6. “We create real communicators” – Amanda Millar (Founder & CEO) quote on company site, amandamillar.co.nz, https://www.amandamillar.co.nz/ (Contact/About section)

7. amandamillar&co – LinkedIn Company Profile (Industry & Size), LinkedIn.com, https://www.linkedin.com/company/amandamillar&co (Public Relations, 2-10 employees)

8. Amanda Millar & Co Instagram Bio, Instagram (@amandamillarandco), https://www.instagram.com/amandamillarandco/ (Upfront, “without spin”)

9. “After 25 years in television… She launched Amanda Millar & Co”, NZ On Screen – Amanda Millar Biography, NZ On Air/TVNZ, https://www.nzonscreen.com/profile/amanda-millar/biography

10. Team Profile – Charlotte Shipman (“The Upfront One”), amandamillar.co.nz – About Us, https://www.amandamillar.co.nz/about-us-people

11. Team Profile – Juanita Copeland (“The Two-Sided One”), amandamillar.co.nz – About Us, https://www.amandamillar.co.nz/about-us-people

12. Client Testimonial – Mike Bennetts, CEO of Z Energy, amandamillar.co.nz – Clients, https://www.amandamillar.co.nz/clients

13. Client Testimonial – Vanessa Oakley (Chorus’s “UP” programme), amandamillar.co.nz – Clients, https://www.amandamillar.co.nz/clients

14. Client Feedback – Fire and Emergency NZ training participant, amandamillar.co.nz – Clients, https://www.amandamillar.co.nz/clients

15. Client Feedback – Water Safety NZ (Sheridan Bruce), amandamillar.co.nz – Clients, https://www.amandamillar.co.nz/clients

16. Global Women Member Acknowledgement – “Global Women warmly thanks Member Amanda Millar…”, GlobalWomen.org.nz, https://globalwomen.org.nz/inspiring-women/noise-silence-amanda-millar/

17. Global Women – About Our Members (400 women leaders), GlobalWomen.org.nz, https://globalwomen.org.nz/our-members/

18. Democracy Project/Integrity Institute – “NZ still has no official lobbying register or adequate transparency rules”, Substack (Integrity Briefing), https://democracyproject.substack.com/p/integrity-briefing-launching-the

19. RNZ News – “Unlike most of the developed world, lobbying is unregulated in New Zealand. There are no obligations on lobbying firms to register…”, Radio New Zealand, 24 Jul 2023, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/494351/

20. Bryce Edwards, The Integrity Institute – Z Energy profile, (Z execs lobbying MPs on fuel pricing, climate regs), DemocracyProject.substack.com, https://democracyproject.substack.com/p/z-energy

21. LinkedIn – Amanda Millar post: “I approach media training as a journalist… good interviews that make sense to the public”, LinkedIn.com, https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-millar-3253104a (accessed via Google cache)

22. Electoral Commission – Candidate Return (Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, 2020) showing “Media Training (Amanda Millar & Company)” expense, Elections.nz (PDF of Heather Te Au-Skipworth return)

23. Otago Daily Times – “Millionaire bankrolls domestic violence film” (Garry Robertson finances Millar’s film Celia after she sought donations), ODT.co.nz, 1 Aug 2018, https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/millionaire-bankrolls-domestic-violence-film

24. NZ Herald – “Former NZ journalist turned spin doctor” (Simon Walker case, illustrating journo-to-PR trend), NZHerald.co.nz, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/ (Archived article snippet)

25. Transparency International NZ – “NZ has no lobbying register; lobbyists don’t have to reveal their clients; no code of conduct…”, thelawassociation.nz, (citing TINZ position), http://thelawassociation.nz (Archived)

26. RNZ Panel Discussion – “Panellists Amanda Millar and Ed Amon discuss…” (Millar as commentator on RNZ, highlighting media presence), RNZ Audio Search, https://www.rnz.co.nz/search/results?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=Amanda+Millar+panel

27. LinkedIn – John Mansford profile (Senior Station Officer, NZ Fire Service), LinkedIn.com, https://nz.linkedin.com/in/john-mansford (accessed via Bing search)

28. NZ Ministry of Justice – “Political lobbying: April 2023 measures for transparency (lobbyists ID, code of conduct)”, justice.govt.nz, https://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/constitutional-issues-and-human-rights/regulatory-systems/lobbying/

29. RNZ News – Guyon Espiner, “Astonishment at lobbyists advising TINZ…”, RNZ, 24 Jul 2023 (details on TINZ being influenced by lobbyists, context for NZ lobbying environment), https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/494351/astonishment-at-lobbyists-advising-transparency-international-on-ethics-and-rules-of-their-own-industry

30. amandamillar&co Blog – “The Most Important Assignment of My Life” (Millar’s blog on Celia documentary and purpose), amandamillar.co.nz – Blog, Nov 14, 2017, https://www.amandamillar.co.nz/blog/2017/11/14/the-most-important-assignment-of-my-life (context on her advocacy)

Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz