Centre for Political Research (NZ)

1. Business / Trading Name: New Zealand Centre for Political Research Limited (commonly known as “NZCPR”). An independent public policy think tank privately run by its founders. (Formerly referred to as the “New Zealand Centre for Political Debate” in 2005.)

2. Company Number: 3390192 (NZBN 9429031092722). Registered as a New Zealand Limited Company on 17 May 2011. Status: Registered (Active).

3. Established: 2005 (think tank founded by former ACT Party MP Dr. Muriel Newman after leaving Parliament). Incorporated as a company on 17 May 2011.

4. Founders: Dr. Muriel Newman (Founder and Director) – former Member of Parliament (1996–2005). Frank Newman (Director and co-founder) – investment analyst and Muriel’s spouse.

5. Postal Address: PO Box 984, Whangārei 0140, New Zealand.

6. Contact Phone: +64 9 434 3836 (landline); Mobile: 021 800 111.

7. Contact Email: muriel@nzcpr.com.

8. Website: www.nzcpr.com – Official website hosting NZCPR’s research articles, weekly newsletter archives, and campaign information.

9. Social Media: Facebook – “NZCPR Facebook Group,” a public group with ~24,000 members (as of 2025) that facilitates discussion and dissemination of NZCPR content. Twitter (X) – @NZCPR (account of Dr. Muriel Newman, used for commentary). YouTube – appearances on third-party channels (e.g. The Platform) rather than a dedicated channel. (No official presence on other social platforms is noted.)

10. Legal Status: Private Company – NZ Limited Company (non-listed, for-profit). Not registered as a charity (NZCPR explicitly forgoes charitable status due to its political advocacy). No government lobbying registration exists (New Zealand has no mandatory lobbyist register).

11. Ownership & Control: Privately owned by the founders. Shareholding is split 50/50 between Muriel Newman and Frank Newman, who each hold 50 ordinary shares. There are no outside shareholders; the Newmans exercise full control. No parent corporation or external owner – NZCPR is a standalone entity.

12. Governance / Key Personnel: Directors: Dr. Muriel Newman (Founding Director) and Frank John Newman (Director). There is no separate board of trustees or independent governors; oversight is internal to the Newman family. Staff: NZCPR has no publicly listed employees beyond the two directors. Operations (research, publications, administration) are largely carried out by Muriel Newman herself, with Frank Newman contributing columns and administrative support. (No evidence of any paid staff or external executives has been disclosed – essentially a two-person operation run from the Newmans’ home office.)

13. Former Directors/Executives: None known. (Muriel and Frank Newman have been the sole directors since incorporation in 2011. No record of other directors or executives.)

14. Former Name(s): New Zealand Centre for Political Debate (original name used when founded in 2005, later changed to “Centre for Political Research”). The change in branding reflected a shift to positioning as a research institute. (No other trading names or aliases are documented.)

15. Associated Entities (Muriel Newman): Newman Securities Limited (NZ Company #9429037685294) – a private company Muriel Newman incorporated in 1999. Rocky Bay Cove Limited (NZ Company #9429031619653) – incorporated 2010, likely a family property or investment vehicle. These companies share the same registered address as NZCPR and indicate the Newmans’ personal business interests. (Neither appears directly involved in NZCPR’s political activities, aside from providing infrastructure or funding.)

16. Associated Entities (NZCPR brand): “Breaking Views” Blog – An affiliated commentary website administered by NZCPR. BreakingViews (breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com) is effectively an NZCPR outlet publishing guest articles and opinion pieces aligned with NZCPR’s focus. It is not a separate legal entity but a project of NZCPR to amplify like-minded voices. NZCPR Weekly Newsletter – a free email newsletter published by NZCPR (claimed to be the largest of its kind in NZ, with ~1 million website visits per year). (No formal subsidiaries or parent organizations.)

17. Charitable Status: None. NZCPR is not a registered charity. It operates as a private think tank and has no charitable registration number. (Muriel Newman has even criticised the regulation of charities, suggesting NZCPR intentionally stays outside the charitable framework to freely engage in political advocacy.)

18. Funding Sources: Undisclosed Private Funding. NZCPR takes no government funding and is funded through donations from readers and supporters. It solicits contributions via its website, relying on goodwill donations to cover operational costs (website, newsletter, campaigns). No public list of donors or financial statements is available. Major benefactors, if any, are not disclosed – raising questions about potential hidden funders or vested interests. (There is no requirement in NZ for such entities to disclose funding, and NZCPR provides no voluntary transparency in this regard.)

19. Annual Revenue (Estimated): Data Not Found. As a private company that is not publicly listed, NZCPR’s financial accounts are not published except for minimal Companies Office filings. No reliable revenue or budget figures are available. (The scale of operations – essentially two individuals – suggests a modest budget; funding likely covers website hosting, communications, and a stipend or living costs for the Newmans. Without disclosure, the exact figures remain unknown.)

20. Main Activities: Research Publications, Commentary, and Advocacy Campaigns. NZCPR produces weekly political commentary articles (authored by Muriel Newman or guest commentators), conducts online public opinion polls, and runs campaigns/petitions on public policy issues. Key activity areas include publishing opinion pieces on the NZCPR website and disseminating them via the newsletter and Facebook, lobbying government through public submissions, and encouraging supporters to engage in political processes (e.g. writing to MPs, signing petitions).

21. Policy Focus Areas: Opposition to race-based policies (promoting “one law for all” and critiquing Māori political influence), climate change skepticism, free-market economic policy (low taxes, reduced government spending), and civil liberties (positioned as free speech advocacy). NZCPR consistently campaigns against co-governance with Māori, against climate mitigation policies it deems too costly, and against “big government” interventions. It often selects contentious issues – e.g. the Three Waters water infrastructure reforms, the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights, or hate speech laws – and mobilises public opposition to them.

22. Lobbying Methods: Indirect Lobbying and Public Campaigns. NZCPR does not appear on any official lobbyist register (none exists in NZ) and is not known to engage in traditional corporate lobbying meetings. Instead, it operates via “astroturf” tactics – using newsletters, social media, and petitions to influence public opinion and pressure policymakers. It makes formal submissions to government inquiries (e.g. tax reform, resource management, constitutional matters) on behalf of its supporters. Muriel Newman herself often represents NZCPR’s views in media or at political events (e.g. ACT Party conferences), effectively lobbying through public discourse rather than behind closed doors.

23. Affiliations & Networks (Domestic): Ideological allies include other right-leaning advocacy groups such as Hobson’s Pledge (an anti-“Māori privilege” lobby led by Don Brash) – NZCPR closely shares Hobson’s Pledge’s anti-co-governance stance and both groups promote “one law for all” messaging. There are informal ties to the Taxpayers’ Union (a libertarian lobby group) and the ACT Party (Muriel’s former party) – evidenced by aligned policy goals and Muriel’s ongoing interactions with ACT events. NZCPR often republishes or amplifies columns by figures from these circles (e.g. former politicians from ACT or National). However, no formal coalition or organizational membership is publicly declared. Muriel Newman’s role as a trustee of the “For the Sake of Our Children Trust” (a charity focused on child welfare) is another affiliation, though that trust’s work (chaired by businessman John Sax) is in social policy rather than NZCPR’s core issues.

24. Affiliations & Networks (International): NZCPR’s publications have featured overseas climate skeptics (e.g. NZ climate contrarian Dr. Vincent Gray) and drawn on materials from U.S. conservative think tanks. The NZCPR also shares narratives with outlets like Australia’s Spectator (Muriel’s columns have invoked similar “free speech” and anti-“woke” themes as seen in Spectator AUS). Overall, while NZCPR positions itself as a domestic grassroots think tank, it draws on and contributes to transnational conservative campaigns (climate skepticism, anti-indigenous-rights, anti-UN globalism).

25. Government Engagements: NZCPR has participated in select committee consultations and government reviews by submitting written evidence or opinion. Notably, it made a submission to the 2018 Tax Working Group opposing new taxes and any tax distinctions “based on ancestry”. It also lobbies on legislative proposals indirectly via campaigns (e.g. mobilising submissions against the Three Waters reform, or supporting ACT MP David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill by rallying public support). However, NZCPR is not a registered lobbyist and there is no record of official meetings with ministers in any transparency releases. Its influence on government tends to be through shaping public sentiment and providing intellectual ammunition for sympathetic politicians (especially in ACT and parts of National/NZ First).

26. Public Engagement & Media: NZCPR maintains a high-profile online presence. Muriel Newman regularly writes op-eds and letters in media: for instance, she penned a 2018 NZ Herald op-ed condemning the Zero Carbon Act as “a recipe for disaster”. She has appeared on talkback and podcast platforms (e.g. Newstalk ZB, The Platform) to discuss NZCPR’s perspectives. The NZCPR Weekly email newsletter is a key outreach tool, claimed to be the largest in NZ policy circles. NZCPR’s Facebook group, with tens of thousands of members, serves as a forum to virally spread its content and talking points – though this has drawn criticism for facilitating misinformation and extremist sentiment.

27. Integrity & Transparency: Disclosure is limited. NZCPR does not publish its funding sources or detailed organizational information on its site beyond basic “About Us” statements. It brands itself as an independent think tank but does not disclose potential conflicts of interest or who financially underwrites its operations. The organisation leverages the veneer of a “research institute” for credibility, yet much of its output is opinion advocacy. There is no public accountability mechanism – no annual report, no official oversight body. This opacity means the public cannot verify whether NZCPR truly represents a grassroots base or is bolstered by a few wealthy patrons. The absence of a lobbying register in NZ enables NZCPR to influence politics without formal scrutiny. (Muriel Newman’s dual role as a commentator and undeclared lobbyist exemplifies this grey area.)

28. Official Records and Registrations: NZCPR is registered with the Companies Office (as detailed above) and files annual returns as required for a company. It has no other official registrations (not a charity, not an Incorporated Society, not on any public lobbyist list). Muriel Newman’s personal roles include trustee positions (e.g. the aforementioned Children’s Trust) which are on the charitable register, but the NZCPR itself remains a privately held vehicle. No government filings reveal its activities or finances beyond the bare company incorporation data. In summary, NZCPR presents itself publicly as a think tank but operates through a simple private company structure with minimal regulatory disclosure.

Sources:

[1] New Zealand Centre For Political Research Ltd – Company Summary, BizDB (NZ), https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429031092722/

[2] Muriel Newman – NZ Company Director Search, NZ Business Directory, https://www.nzwao.com/director/Muriel+NEWMAN/

[3] Muriel Newman – Trustee Profile, For the Sake of Our Children Trust, http://www.forourchildren.org.nz/Who+We+Are/Our+People/Muriel+Newman+-+Trustee.html

[4] About Us – NZCPR, New Zealand Centre for Political Research, https://www.nzcpr.com/about-us/

[5] Contact Details (NZCPR), New Zealand Centre for Political Research, https://www.nzcpr.com/contact-us/

[6] Public Submission to Tax Working Group (Cover Letter), NZ Centre for Political Research, via NZ IRD Tax Policy, April 2018, https://taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz/publications/2020-twg-submissions (PDF)

[7] Breaking Views blog notice, BreakingViewsNZ (administered by NZCPR), https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2025/04/yvonne-van-dongen-what-should-we-be.html

[8] Anna Rawhiti-Connell, “No, the government has not rolled out Three Waters branded cars”, The Spinoff, 10 Mar 2023, https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/10-03-2023/no-the-government-has-not-rolled-out-three-waters-branded-cars

[9] Joanne Wilkes, “Voyage of the banned”, Plain Sight (NZ), 11 Jul 2023, https://plainsight.nz/voyage-of-the-banned/

[10] Dr Muriel Newman, “Unstoppable Climate Change”, NZ Centre for Political Debate (Scoop Opinion), 14 Mar 2008, https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0803/S00141.htm

[11] Dr Muriel Newman, “Crossing the Line”, Scoop News, 26 Oct 2007, https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0710/S00368.htm

[12] Muriel Newman, “Climate change policy a recipe for disaster”, NZ Herald, 28 Mar 2018, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/muriel-newman-climate-change-policy-a-recipe-for-disaster/GE2N4U7OM45R5SJGN6FZLGNAXE/

[13] Muriel Newman – Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muriel_Newman

[14] Bryce Edwards, “Hobson’s Pledge”, The Democracy Project – Integrity Institute (Substack), 3 Nov 2023, https://democracyproject.substack.com/p/hobsons-pledge (excerpt via search)

[15] Gustaf Torrin, “Why the Atlas Network will win the Anti-Treaty referendum”, Astroturfing.nz, 27 Jan 2024, https://www.astroturfing.nz/why-the-atlas-network-will-win-the-anti-treaty-referendum/

[16] Joe Trinder, “Why the Atlas Network will win the Anti-Treaty referendum”, Southern Cross News, 28 Dec 2023, https://southerncross.news/national/why-the-atlas-network-will-win-the-anti-treaty-referendum/

[17] Former ACT MP condemns damage to race relations, Radio New Zealand News, 28 Feb 2010, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/35434/former-act-mp-condemns-damage-to-race-relations

[18] Lobbying corrupts decisions, The Integrity Institute (NZ), https://theintegrityinstitute.org.nz/lobbying-corrupts-decisions/

[19] “Launching the NZ Lobbying & Influence Register”, Integrity Institute/Democracy Project briefing, 01 Nov 2023, https://democracyproject.substack.com/p/launching-the-nz-lobbying-and-influence (via DemocracyProject Substack)

[20] “Charities Under Review”, NZCPR Report, 19 Oct 2014 (republished by Hobson’s Pledge), https://www.hobsonspledge.nz/manipulating_charities_nzcpr_oct2014

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