Heft
• Business / Trading Name: Heft Partners Limited (trading as “Heft Communications”)
• Company Number: 8053060
• NZBN: 9429048452618
• Entity Type: New Zealand Limited Liability Company (privately held)
• Business Classification: Public relations and communications consultancy
• Industry Category: Public Relations and Communications Services
• Year Founded: 2020
• Addresses:
• Principal Office: Level 1, 145 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
• Website URL:
https://www.heft.co.nz
• LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heft--nz/?originalSubdomain=nz
• Company Hub NZ URL: https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429048452618
• Social Media URLs: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/heftnz/
• Ultimate Holding Company: None (independent company, no parent entity)
• Key Shareholders: Emily Makere Broadmore (founder, shareholder); Victoria “Vic” Crockford (partner/executive director, likely shareholder) – exact shareholding percentages are not publicly disclosed
• Emily Makere Broadmore – Founding Director (co-founder; background as former parliamentary press secretary)
• Victoria (Vic) Crockford – Executive Director (joined leadership, former NGO chief executive)
• Sarah Johnson – General Manager (appointed 2025; senior communications strategist)
• (Former leadership: Sarah Maguire – co-founder and former Director, left by 2023) *
• Staff: Core team of ~5 employees and a network of consultants nationwide. Key staff include Anna-Grace Somerfield (Communications Coordinator), Marianna Czibere (Accounts Manager), and a roster of senior associate consultants in Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Napier and abroad (e.g. Sean O’Brien, Mary Baines, Gwynn Compton, Kirsten Smith, Kate Oktay, Anthony Clearwater, Mel Weddell, Hanna Butler, Kim Thomas, Polly Hauraki).
• Staff that have held previous government roles: Several members are ex-government or political staff. Emily Broadmore was a political adviser and press secretary in the John Key/Bill English government. Gwynn Compton (associate consultant) served as a communications adviser to two New Zealand Prime Ministers. These “revolving door” backgrounds give Heft insider knowledge of government.
• Past Employees: No departures of public note have been documented; the firm’s small size means most founding staff remain involved.
• Clients: Heft does not publicly list all clients, but known clients and partners span the public, private and non-profit sectors. Examples include: Museums Aotearoa (the national museums association), and WMS Group (a private sector business entering the NZ market).
• Industries/Sectors Represented: Cultural and GLAM sector (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) ; Housing and Energy (Vic Crockford’s specialty sectors) ; Education and community development (REAP) ; Corporate and startup sector (market entrants like WMS); Non-profits/NGOs (e.g. homelessness advocacy, arts and literary initiatives).
• Publicly Disclosed Engagements: Heft’s partnership with Museums Aotearoa on “strategic communications and government advocacy” is public. The firm’s support for Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness (through Vic Crockford’s directorship) is acknowledged in public forums. Consultants from Heft have appeared as submitters or advisors in policy discussions (e.g. Vic Crockford serving on a council Climate Reference Group). However, as an unregistered lobbyist, most of Heft’s lobbying engagements (e.g. arranging meetings with MPs for clients) are not formally disclosed in public records.
• Affiliations: Heft and its principals are members of professional networks. Emily Broadmore is a Member of the Institute of Directors (MInstD). Staff have backgrounds in the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (informal, via industry practice – formal PRINZ membership not publicly stated). The company has aligned itself with transparency initiatives, expressing support for a mandatory lobbyist code of conduct recommended by the Helen Clark Foundation.
• Sponsorships / Collaborations: Heft has sponsored arts and writing initiatives, reflecting its founders’ interests. It provided funding for Folly Journal’s short story competition (in partnership with the Wellington Writers’ Studio), making that literary award one of the richest in NZ. The firm also collaborates with the Wellington Writers’ Studio (a creative hub co-founded by Emily Broadmore) on community literary projects. In the museum sector, Heft’s collaboration with Museums Aotearoa is an example of a strategic partnership combining advocacy with sector expertise.
• Events: Heft has not publicly hosted large-scale events in its own name. Its leaders do contribute to industry events as speakers – for instance, Executive Director Vic Crockford delivered a keynote at the 2025 New Zealand Inclusive Leadership Symposium. The company also conducts private workshops (such as bespoke media training sessions for clients and members of Museums Aotearoa). No known public conferences or political events are organised directly by Heft.
• Political Donations: Data Not Found. There are no recorded political donations in New Zealand’s public registers made under the company’s name. Key individuals have not been reported making significant donations to political parties. Heft appears to exert political influence through lobbying activity and relationships rather than direct monetary contributions to parties.
• Controversies: Heft Communications has thus far avoided any high-profile scandals. However, its role as an unregistered lobbying firm has been noted in broader discussions about lobbying transparency in New Zealand. In 2023, media commentators highlighted Heft among firms receiving government contracts despite being lobbyists, suggesting a potential conflict of interest in such arrangements. This reflects the growing scrutiny of firms like Heft operating at the nexus of public contracts and private lobbying, even if no specific misconduct by Heft has been proven.
• Other Information of Note: The firm brands itself as a “female-founded” agency built on flexible talent deployment. It emphasizes a modern model of leveraging a “community of independent consultants” to provide on-demand expertise. Notably, the company underwent a slight rebranding, with the website copyright now under “Heft Partners Ltd” (suggesting a parent or renamed entity as of 2024). Additionally, Heft staff frequently publish thought leadership pieces (e.g. op-eds in The Press and The Spinoff) on communications, AI, and regional issues, thereby shaping public discourse in their areas of expertise.
• Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: Data Not Found. There is no public record of Heft Communications Limited receiving COVID-19 wage subsidies from the New Zealand government. Given the company’s founding in early 2020 and small size, it may have been eligible during the pandemic, but no claim is evident in the official wage subsidy recipient lists. (No evidence of wage subsidy claims as of latest data.)
Sources:
1. The Folly Of Emily Broadmore, Woman (NZ), https://womanmagazine.co.nz/the-folly-of-emily-broadmore/ (Profile of co-founder Emily Broadmore; notes Heft’s founding with Sarah Maguire in 2020)
2. Sarah Maguire – Guest Writer Profile, The Spinoff, https://thespinoff.co.nz/authors/sarah-austen-smith (Bio confirming Maguire as former deputy comms director to PM Ardern and now a director at Heft)
3. Heft Communications – Who we are, Museums Aotearoa, https://museumsaotearoa.org.nz/heft-communications (Describes Heft as a Wellington-based communications and government relations consultancy, with GLAM sector expertise)
4. Heft LinkedIn Page, LinkedIn, https://nz.linkedin.com/company/heft–nz (Company profile indicating industry, size, founded 2020, and services including government relations)
5. Heft “About Us” – Our Team, Heft.co.nz, https://www.heft.co.nz/about-us (Company website detailing leadership and staff backgrounds: Broadmore’s political advisor experience, Crockford’s NGO roles, Johnson’s govt agency work, etc.)
6. What I learned as an OIA hunter (Heft blog), Heft Communications News, https://www.heft.co.nz/news/what-i-learned-as-an-oia-hunter (Article by a Heft executive discussing NZ’s informal lobbying access, revolving door of staff, and endorsing a lobbyist code of conduct)
7. NZ Companies Office – Company Summary, (Heft Partner Limited), https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/8053060?backurl=H4sIAAAAAAAAAEXLMQ7CMAyF4dtkYSgMjBZigYEOSPQCVuLSSE0cbAeU21NEEdv%2FPul1Be%2BknedUMMellFD8dHjARKNtFk81R48WOaujbNHa0AopHPt%2B3TdDq3oWruXLMXuWchJOsPbA4DAEIdX%2Fe4ULtRdLAKeGYrB1c0zRYLd3Oi4YPs8nZk%2FhiplmMKnkEgeCn78BuvV1XsUAAAA%3D
8. Ministry of Transport OIA release – Supplier Spend 2021/22, FYI.govt.nz (OIA repository), https://fyi.org.nz/request/22652/…/MoT%20Supplier%20spend%202021%2022…csv.txt (Shows Heft Communications Ltd was paid $2,670 by MoT in FY 2021/22)
9. Should government departments be giving contracts to lobbying firms? (Opinion), Democracy Project via Substack, November 2023 (Discusses lobbying firms with government contracts; Heft Communications noted among firms in question)
10. RNZ News – “Lobbying firm Senate’s ‘wildly inappropriate’ contracts”, RNZ (Guyon Espiner), 7 Nov 2023, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/501838/… (Investigation of a lobbying firm embedded in a regulator; includes expert quotes on conflicts of interest in lobbying)
11. “We’re adding some more Heft!” – Heft News, Heft Communications site, 10 Mar 2025, https://www.heft.co.nz/news (Announcement of Sarah Johnson as new General Manager, 2025)
12. Heft Communications – Client Testimonials, Heft website, https://www.heft.co.nz/about-us (Includes quote from Adele Fitzpatrick of Museums Aotearoa praising Heft’s advocacy and from Ray Mudgway (WMS Group) about Heft controlling the narrative for a new business launch)
13. SignalHire – Heft Overview, SignalHire.com, https://www.signalhire.com/companies/heft-communications (Lists Heft’s specialties and some team members, e.g., Carla Poulton, Jessie Barwick, Anna-Grace Somerfield, indicating staff roles)
14. Emily Broadmore on the New Arrogance (op-ed), The Press (via Heft news), 20 Mar 2025 (Heft executive’s op-ed in major newspaper, showing thought leadership role)
15. Victoria Crockford on flexible agency models, Heft News (LinkedIn post), 24 Mar 2025 (Vic Crockford discussing Heft’s flexible talent model instead of headcount)
16. NZ LinkedIn – Employees at Heft, LinkedIn, https://nz.linkedin.com/company/heft–nz (Shows key personnel: Sarah Johnson (GM), Emily Broadmore (Director), Victoria Crockford (Director), etc.)
17. Interview with Folly editor, Emily Broadmore, Heft News, 2022, heft.co.nz (Emily discussing launching Folly journal; indirectly notes Heft’s support for literary initiatives)
18. NZ’s biggest short story competition back for 40th year, NZ Society of Authors, 2022, authors.org.nz (Acknowledges sponsorship support of Heft Communications for the competition’s prizes)
19. D&B Business Directory – Heft Partners Ltd, DNB.com (Profile snippet: Heft Partners Ltd in Wellington, estimated sales ~$0.27M, classified under PR and Strategic Communications)
20. LinkedIn – Gwynn Compton profile blurb, LinkedIn.com (Gwynn notes he’s worked for two Prime Ministers, confirming his political advisory background)
21. Bryce Edwards: Should govt depts be giving contracts to lobbying firms?, NZ Herald (Opinion), 8 Nov 2023 (Highlights need to investigate lobbying firms with government contracts; context for Heft’s environment)
22. Heft Services Page, Heft.co.nz, https://www.heft.co.nz/services (Lists “Government relations and advocacy” and “Specialist placement” as part of Heft’s service offerings, showing lobbying and contractor placement)
23. Nadine Higgins’ Post (LinkedIn), LinkedIn.com, 2024 (Mentions Vic Crockford’s roles including Executive Director of Heft and director of Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness, demonstrating dual affiliations)
24. Reddit – “Opinion: Should govt depts contract lobbyists?”, Reddit.com/r/nz (Discussion referencing Bryce Edwards’ NZ Herald op-ed; gauges public concern over firms like Heft getting govt work)
25. Heft – Privacy Policy / Website Footer, Heft.co.nz (Shows “© Heft Partners Ltd 2024”, indicating the existence of Heft Partners Ltd entity)
26. Inspirational Women Awards 2023 – Finalists, inspirationalwomenawards.org (Lists Vic Crockford with her Heft title and her energy/housing leadership experience)
27. Heft Communications – Contact Us, Heft.co.nz/contact-us (Provides physical address: 145 Cuba St, Wellington, and contact phone, confirming address info)
28. REAP Aotearoa testimonial (via LinkedIn), Heft LinkedIn Updates, Feb 2023 (REAP NZ praising Heft’s support over years; evidences client satisfaction and long-term engagement)
29. Max Rashbrooke on lobbying, RNZ Interview, 2023 (Max Rashbrooke commentary: “If you’ve got a lobbying firm embedded in the heart of government…it’s totally inappropriate”, pertinent to ethical analysis)
Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz