Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

1. Entity Name: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners New Zealand Limited (legal name).

2. Former Names: Coca-Cola Amatil (N.Z.) Limited (1994–2021); CCA Beverages (N.Z.) Limited (1990–1994); Oasis Industries Limited (1973–1990); Innes Industries Limited (1948–1973).

3. New Zealand Business Number (NZBN): 9429040735191.

4. Company Number: 46860 (NZ Companies Office registration number).

5. Date of Incorporation: 27 August 1948.

6. Entity Type: NZ Limited Company (limited liability company).

7. Company Status: Registered (active).

8. Registered Office Address: “The Oasis,” 19 Carbine Road, Mt Wellington, Auckland 1060, New Zealand.

9. Address for Service: 19 Carbine Road, Mt Wellington, Auckland 1060 (same as registered office).

10. Postal Address: 19 Carbine Road, Mt Wellington, Auckland 1060 (same as above; single address used for registered, physical, and postal purposes).

11. Website: Corporate site – cocacolaep.com/nz (New Zealand section); Consumer site – coca-cola.co.nz.

12. Industry Classification: C121150 – Soft Drink Manufacturing.

13. Business Activities: Production, bottling, marketing and distribution of non-alcoholic beverages in New Zealand (including carbonated soft drinks, juices, water, sports/energy drinks, teas, etc). Key brands produced/distributed include Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, L&P, Pump, Lift, Keri Juice, Monster Energy, etc. (The company is the country’s largest soft drinks manufacturer.)

14. Shareholding Structure: 15,000,000 total shares, all held by a single shareholder. There are no minority shareholders.

15. Major Shareholder: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Holdings NZ Limited – holds 100% of shares (15,000,000/15,000,000).

16. Ultimate Parent Company: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners plc (CCEP) – incorporated in the United Kingdom, registered company number 9717350. CCEP is the publicly listed multinational Coca-Cola bottling group that acquired Coca-Cola Amatil (Australasia) in 2021.

17. Country of Ownership: New Zealand entity, but wholly owned by overseas parents (immediate parent in New Zealand, ultimately a UK-based PLC). (The Coca-Cola Europacific group is headquartered in London, with significant Australian operations.)

18. Board of Directors (NZ): Christopher Jon Litchfield (Director, appointed 2014); Wendy Clare Rayner (Director, appointed 2018 – Managing Director NZ); Paul Fulton Vinall (Director, appointed Feb 2024); Jason Paul Kennedy (Director, appointed Feb 2024). (All current NZ directors are company executives; previous directors have included both New Zealand and Australian-based Coca-Cola executives.)

19. Senior Management: The New Zealand Managing Director is Wendy Rayner (since Jan 2024), taking over from long-time NZ/Pacific Managing Director Chris Litchfield. The company’s senior leadership team also includes heads of Public Affairs, Finance, Sales, etc. (e.g. Peter Jiang – Head of Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability for NZ/Pacific).

20. Number of Employees (NZ): Data Not Found. (Not publicly reported as a separate figure; estimated around 1,000 staff in New Zealand based on wage subsidy records.)

21. Annual Revenue (NZ): Approximately NZ$600 million in sales (latest estimate: NZ$608.24 million). (CCEP’s total Australasian revenue and profits are much higher, but NZ-specific financials are not separately published.)

22. Government Subsidies: Received NZ$7.2 million under the New Zealand COVID-19 Wage Subsidy scheme in 2020. (All NZ employees kept full pay; the company later voluntarily repaid the $7.2m in 2021 after its financial performance recovered). No other significant government grants or subsidies are recorded.

23. Political Donations: None disclosed. (Coca-Cola Europacific Partners NZ is foreign-owned; under NZ electoral law it cannot donate over $50 to political parties. There are no records of any political donations from this company or its parent to New Zealand parties).

24. Lobbyist Registration: Not applicable. (New Zealand has no mandatory lobbying register for companies or in-house lobbyists, hence no official registration for Coca-Cola’s lobbying activities exists).

25. Third-Party Lobbying Firms: Data Not Found. (The company does not publicly disclose hiring of external lobbying or PR firms in NZ. Its government relations are handled primarily in-house by company executives. No registered lobbying consultant records in NZ.)

26. Industry & Trade Association Memberships: Member of the New Zealand Food & Grocery Council (FGC) and the New Zealand Beverage Council – the two main industry bodies for food and non-alcoholic drink producers. (Through these associations, Coca-Cola collaborates on lobbying efforts with other food and beverage companies). It is also a member of various business groups (e.g. local chambers of commerce).

27. Stock Exchange Listing: Not publicly listed in NZ (this entity is a private subsidiary). The ultimate parent, CCEP plc, is listed on Euronext (Amsterdam/Europe) and on the Australian Securities Exchange.

28. Transparency Disclosures: Coca-Cola’s Pacific division voluntarily published a transparency report in 2016 detailing its sponsorships of health professionals and organisations. It revealed NZ$400,000 in payments to New Zealand health groups and experts over 2010–2015. (This came amid public pressure for transparency).

29. Revolving Door & Public Sector Links: No former New Zealand Cabinet Ministers or MPs are known to be employed by Coca-Cola NZ in executive or lobbyist roles (past or present). (Notably, NZ imposes no “cooling-off” period restricting ex-officials from lobbying, but in this case no high-profile political figures have directly cycled into the company. However, the Food & Grocery Council representing Coca-Cola is led by a former MP.)

Sources:

[1] Coca-Cola Europacific Partners New Zealand Limited – Company Profile (NZBN 9429040735191), BizDb (New Zealand business directory), https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429040735191/
[2] Name History of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners NZ (formerly Coca-Cola Amatil NZ), BizDb, https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429040735191/
[3] Shareholding and Ownership – Coca-Cola Europacific Partners NZ (15,000,000 shares; sole shareholder), BizDb, https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429040735191/
[4] Board of Directors (NZ) – Coca-Cola Europacific Partners NZ (Litchfield, Rayner, Vinall, Kennedy), BizDb, https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429040735191/
[5] Coca-Cola Europacific Partners plc – Registered in England & Wales (Company No. 9717350), Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (Corporate Site),

https://www.cocacolaep.com/

(see Contact Us page)
[6] Coca-Cola Europacific Partners New Zealand Limited – Estimated Sales Revenue, Dun & Bradstreet (dnb.com), https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.coca-cola_europacific_partners_new_zealand_limited.
[7] “Coca-Cola Amatil NZ to repay millions from Covid-19 wage subsidy,” Radio New Zealand – RNZ News, 25 Jan 2021, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/435000/coca-cola-amatil-nz-to-repay-millions-from-covid-19-wage-subsidy
[8] “More NZ organisations to refuse Coca-Cola cash,” Radio New Zealand – RNZ News, 15 Mar 2016, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/298955/more-nz-organisations-to-refuse-coca-cola-cash
[9] Clayton Cosgrove, General Debate Speech (on lobbying in NZ), NZ Parliamentary Debates – Hansard, 19 Dec 2013 (Volume 696), https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/50HansD_20131219_00000019/cosgrove-clayton-general-debate (Discussion of lobbying influence on policy).
[10] Sir David Skegg, The Health of the People – excerpt in “Up to no good,” Otago Daily Times, 7 Mar 2020, https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/no-good (quotes on lobbying against sugar tax and NZ Initiative funding)
[11] “Up to no good – Lobbying’s impact on public health,” Otago Daily Times, 7 Mar 2020, https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/no-good (Funding of NZ Initiative by Coca-Cola Amatil; ‘lobbying carrying the day’ on sugar tax)
[12] Jamie Tahana, “Soft drink makers employ sweet talking lobbyists in Pacific,” RNZ Pacific, 3 Jul 2018, https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/2018651847/ (Coca-Cola hiring Public Affairs manager to lobby against sugar taxes)
[13] Victoria Mulligan, “Sugar industry’s fight against tax takes tips from tobacco’s playbook,” Health Coalition Aotearoa, 3 Dec 2018, https://www.healthcoalition.org.nz/sugar-industrys-fight-against-tax-takes-tips-from-tobaccos-playbook (Helen Clark quote on sugar tax lobbying reminiscent of tobacco industry)
[14] Health Coalition Aotearoa – Press Release, 2018 (ibid.) (Coca-Cola’s full-page ads “listening to consumers” as preemptive PR on sugar)
[15] Pete McKenzie, “The scandal that lurks beneath the Dirty Politics trial,” The Spinoff, 14 Mar 2021, https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/14-03-2021/the-scandal-that-lurks-beneath-the-dirty-politics-trial (FGC under Katherine Rich persuading governments to avoid regulating unhealthy foods; details of Whale Oil attack funding)
[16] The Spinoff (ibid.) – Dirty Politics trial coverage (Carrick Graham & WhaleOil paid to attack health advocates; FGC paid Graham $365k; Katherine Rich role)
[17] Mohamed Hassan, “More NZ organisations to refuse Coca-Cola cash,” RNZ News, 2016 (Diabetes NZ and Dietitians NZ rejecting Coca-Cola funding due to conflict of interest)
[18] Bryce Edwards, “What business is lobbying government for – Political Roundup,” NZ Herald, 7 Oct 2024, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/what-business-is-lobbying-government-for-bryce-edwards-political-roundup/JN5ONDVFPRFGVMMRET3NF7FBYQ/ (Discusses hidden and secretive nature of corporate lobbying in NZ; need for transparency)
[19] Kevin Hague, “Green Party rubbishes NZ Initiative’s sugar-tax claims,” Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand – Press Release, 21 Apr 2016, https://www.greens.org.nz/green-party-rubbishes-nz-initiatives-sugar-tax-claims (Notes NZ Initiative funded by junk-food lobby including Coca-Cola; compares industry arguments to tobacco tactics)
[20] Tax Working Group – Public Submissions: “Coca-Cola Oceania submission on Future of Tax,” 30 Apr 2018, NZ Treasury/Tax Working Group Archive, https://taxworkinggroup.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2018-09/twg-subm-3990026-coca-cola-oceania.pdf (Coca-Cola’s arguments against sugar tax: claiming support for health goals but saying tax is unnecessary, citing lack of evidence and their own voluntary measures)
[21] “Container Return Scheme for Aotearoa New Zealand – announcement,” Ministry for the Environment, 2019 (Press release by Eugenie Sage launching CRS design phase, with industry consultation) – Coca-Cola Amatil’s response in Packaging News: “Coca-Cola Amatil gives thumbs-up to NZ container return scheme,” Packaging News, 26 Sep 2019, https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/coca-cola-amatil-gives-thumbs-up-to-nz-container-return-scheme (Coke NZ welcoming container deposit scheme announcement, positioning itself as supportive)
[22] Greenpeace Aotearoa, “Unbottling the truth: Coca-Cola’s role in plastic pollution,” 26 Sep 2023, https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/story/unbottling-the-truth-coca-colas-role-in-plastic-pollution/ (Coca-Cola named world’s worst plastic polluter for 6 years; ~1 billion Coke plastic bottles sold annually in NZ; calls to ban plastic bottles)
[23] Overseas Investment Office Decision Summary – CCEP Acquisition of Coca-Cola Amatil, Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), Apr 2021, https://www.linz.govt.nz/our-work/overseas-investment-regulation/decisions/2021-04/ (OIO approved CCEP’s $7.68b takeover of CCA NZ)
[24] Nicky Hager, Dirty Politics, 2014, chapter on Food & Grocery Council and attack blogging (Whale Oil) – (Reference via The Spinoff and ODT articles summarising Hager’s revelations)
[25] Teuila Fuatai, “Lobbying corrupts decisions,” The Integrity Institute (integrityinstitute.org.nz), 2022 – (Overview of how NZ lobbyists influence policy through access, revolving door, donations, etc., with references to hospitality and post-parliament jobs).

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