Capital Government Relations
1. Business / Trading Name: Capital GR Ltd / Capital Government Relations (branded as “Capital”)
2. Company number: 7335942.
3. NZBN: 9429047336674.
4. Entity type: New Zealand Limited Company.
5. Business classification: M696275 Public affairs consultant service
6. LinkedIn Industry Category: Government Relations Services
7. Year founded: 2019
8. Addresses:
Registered Office:
c/o All Accounted For Ltd, Ground Floor, 271–277 Willis Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011
Operating Office:
26 The Terrace, Wellington
9. Website URL:
https://capitalnz.com
10. LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/capital-nz/
11. Company Hub NZ URL: https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429047336674
12. NZ Companies Office URL: https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/co/7335942
13. Social Media URLs: no official Facebook or Twitter / X; only LinkedIn as above
14. Ultimate Holding Company: None – Capital GR Ltd is independently owned.
15. Key Shareholders:
Neale Jones – 80.65%
Ben Thomas – 19.35%
16. Leadership:
Neale Jones (Managing Director)
Ben Thomas (Director)
Fletcher Tabuteau (Director, joined 2023)
No separate board; firm is led by its principals.
17. Staff: Team of ~6–8 consultants as of 2024.
Notable staff include:
Mike Jaspers (Head of Communications);
Mike Munro (Strategic Advisor);
Aimie Hines (Senior Consultant);
Jen Vermeulen (Digital Strategy Consultant);
Kate Allpress (Consultant)
18. Staff that have held previous government roles:
Extensive “revolving door” hires:
Neale Jones – former Chief of Staff to Labour Leader (Andrew Little) and briefly to PM Jacinda Ardern;
Ben Thomas – former press secretary to National’s Attorney-General (Christopher Finlayson);
Fletcher Tabuteau – former Member of Parliament (NZ First, 2014–2020
Mike Jaspers – former press secretary to PM Ardern;
Aimie Hines – former National Party communications manager and adviser to National MP Mark Mitchell[1]
Jen Vermeulen - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Social Media Manager following the 2017 election;
Mike Munro – former Chief of Staff to PM Ardern;
Kate Allpress – Ministry of Social Development
Clint Smith – former senior communications adviser to PM Ardern and to Minister Phil Twyford
Tory Whanau – former Green Party Chief of Staff;
19. Past Employees:
Tory Whanau (former Green Party Chief of Staff, Senior Consultant 2021–2022, left to become Wellington Mayor);
Clint Smith (former senior communications adviser to PM Ardern and to Minister Phil Twyford, Senior Consultant, left 2023 to run his own firm);
Hayden Munro (Campaigns/PR consultant, no longer listed by 2023 – presumably departed).[2] No public alumni list; these departures are known from media reports.
20. Clients: Not publicly disclosed by the firm – confirmed clients via media/OIA[3] include:
Countdown (supermarket chain);
Google (tech);
Graymont[4](multi-national mining / minerals company – lime/stone industry)
MEGA (tech/cloud storage);
Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) – pharma;
Natural Health Practitioners NZ (industry group);
Neste (renewable fuels, Finland);
University of Waikato (public university);
NZ Carbon Farming (carbon credit firm);
Banking sector clients (undisclosed specific banks – acknowledged by Jones in commentary). (Capital refuses to list clients, citing confidentiality).
Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko[5]
21. Industries/sectors represented:
Technology (global Big Tech and internet services); Energy & Environment (biofuels, carbon trading); Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals; Food & Grocery Retail; Banking/Financial Services; Tertiary Education; Primary industries (e.g. agribusiness, natural health exports); Local government & infrastructure (indirectly via developers, etc.).
22. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: Revealed lobbying activities through OIA and media:
Therapeutic Products Bill lobbying (2021–22): Jones pressed ministers to change export restrictions for natural health products.[6]
Pharmac Review (2022): Jones sought updates for pharma client MSD via ministerial contacts.
Online Content Regulation (2022): Jones queried timing of Cabinet decisions on behalf of Google.
Biofuels advocacy (2020): Clint Smith secured a meeting with officials for biofuel-maker Neste within 33 minutes.
Grocery sector research (2022): Mike Jaspers surveyed MPs on behalf of new client Countdown during the Commerce Commission market study.
Local Government lobbying (2022): Tory Whanau, as a Capital consultant, emailed Internal Affairs ministers on a client’s behalf days before becoming Mayor. Government contracts: Capital’s services retained by University of Waikato (2020–2023) to influence education policy.
23. Affiliations: Industry associations and partnerships: Capital is a member of the Public Relations Institute of NZ (PRINZ) – several Capital consultants are PRINZ members and have participated in PRINZ’s lobbying transparency project.
Neale Jones initially represented Australian lobbying firm Hawker Britton in NZ before establishing Capital)[7]
Director Ben Thomas is also an Associate Director with Australian lobbying firm Barton Deakin (indicating a trans-Tasman affiliation). Capital’s principals are frequently featured as media commentators (RNZ, NZ Herald, etc.), reflecting informal ties to media discourse.
24. Sponsorships / Collaborations: No public records of corporate sponsorships or co-branded events by Capital. The firm’s visibility comes via its media commentary and client work rather than sponsorships.
25. Events (held or organised by this organisation): Capital does not publicly advertise events it hosts. Its staff participate in industry panels and private client events.
26. Political Donations: Capital GR Ltd itself has made no declared political donations. Key figures have not been publicly reported as major donors (they exert influence via lobbying rather than direct party donations). In the 2020 election, Capital’s director Neale Jones instead contributed by advising Labour’s campaign and coalition talks, rather than through monetary donations.
27. Controversies: Revolving Door & Conflicts: Capital is frequently cited as a prime example of New Zealand’s lax lobbying rules, with critics noting its staff moving straight from government into lobbying. The firm’s refusal to disclose clients has drawn scrutiny – RNZ’s 2023 investigation highlighted Capital’s secret lobbying of ministers via encrypted messages.
Capital’s staff frequently appear in media as commentators on policy, indirectly influencing debate without formally disclosing their client interests.[8]
28. Other information of note: Capital’s founders span the political spectrum – a deliberate strategy to maintain influence regardless of which party is in power. In late 2023, anticipating a change of government, Capital announced a “new look” team: Ben Thomas (ex-National) leading government relations and Fletcher Tabuteau (ex-NZ First MP) joining as a director, while Neale Jones shifted to focus on opposition (Labour/Greens) engagement. This agile, multi-partisan approach has made Capital arguably “the most well-known lobbying firm in New Zealand”. Notably, Tory Whanau’s tenure at Capital (immediately before winning the Wellington mayoralty) exemplified the blurred lines between lobbying and politics in NZ.
29. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: No public record of Capital GR Ltd receiving COVID-19 wage subsidies. The firm continued operating through 2020–21 with significant contracts, suggesting it did not require government wage support.
[1] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/ex-nz-first-mp-fletcher-tabuteau-joins-lobbying-firm-capital-ahead-of-new-government-forming/T5ZAJOUEXRF6VEJDOGRNLBE4ZU/#:~:text=Another%20new%20hire%20for%20Capital,firm%20as%20a%20senior%20consultant
[2] https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/politics/lobbying-firm-capital-shuffles-to-the-right-after-nzs-centre-right-turn#:~:text=turn%20businessdesk,and%20left%20the%20company
[3] https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/486527/how-well-connected-lobbyists-ask-for-and-receive-urgent-meetings-sensitive-information-and-action-on-law-changes-for-their-corporate-clients
[4] https://www.eeca.govt.nz/assets/EECA-Resources/OIA-responses/EECAs-engagement-with-Lobbyist-Groups.pdf#:~:text=representatives%20of%20these%20lobbying%20firms,each%20firm%20in%20each%20year
[5]https://www.ea.govt.nz/documents/2058/7_December_2022.pdf#:~:text=Authority%20staff%20and%20Capital%20Government,documents%20are%20attached%20to%20this
[6] https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/486527/how-well-connected-lobbyists-ask-for-and-receive-urgent-meetings-sensitive-information-and-action-on-law-changes-for-their-corporate-clients
[7] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/cool-calm-and-connected-meet-new-zealands-top-lobbyists/56INADNZKM5NERZS6EWVDVIR7M/#:~:text=After%20Jones%20left%20Labour%20after,which%20exclusively%20lobbies%20Labor%20MPs
[8] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/cool-calm-and-connected-meet-new-zealands-top-lobbyists/56INADNZKM5NERZS6EWVDVIR7M/#:~:text=Mark%20Unsworth%2C%20a%20partner%20at,listed%20on%20the%20company%27s%20website
Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz