Iron Duke Partners

1. Business / Trading Name: Iron Duke Partners Limited

2. Company Number: 5668149

3. NZBN: 9429041693698

4. Entity Type: NZ Limited Company (Ltd)

5. Business Classification: ANZSIC code M696205 – “Business consultant service”

6. Industry Category: Advocacy and Lobbying (Public Policy Consulting)

7. Year Founded: 2015

8. Addresses:

• Registered Office: Level 6, 95 Customhouse Quay, Wellington 6011, NZ (c/o Baker Tilly Staples Rodway, since Sep 2019)

• Previous Registered Address: Level 1, 50 Customhouse Quay, Wellington 6143, NZ (2015–2017)

• Operating Address: 9th Floor, 342 Lambton Quay, Wellington 6011, NZ (headquarters)

9. Website URL:

http://www.iron-duke.com/

10. LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/irondukepartners/

11. CompanyHub NZ URL: https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429041693698 (CompanyHub listing with registration details)

12. NZ Companies Office URL: https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/5668149

13. Social Media URLs: No official social media profiles beyond LinkedIn (no active Twitter/Facebook identified) – Data Not Found

14. Ultimate Holding Company: None (privately held; no parent entity) – Data Not Found

15. Key Shareholders: The company is privately owned by its co-founders via a family trust structure. A 98% stake (98 of 100 shares) is held jointly by Philip John O’Reilly, Julie Ann Saddington, and Gibson Sheat Trustees Limited (as trustees). O’Reilly and Saddington each also hold 1 share (1% each) in their own names.

16. Leadership: Phil O’Reilly, ONZM – Managing Director (co-founder). Julie Ann Saddington –(co-founder). (No separate CEO; O’Reilly leads day-to-day operations.) An Advisory Board Chair (Murray Jack) provides governance advice, but board members are not legal directors of the company.

17. Staff: The core team (besides O’Reilly) includes Jesse Corlett – Principal Consultant (joined c.2019), Madison Burgess-Smith – Senior Consultant, and Henry Levett – Consultant. Support staff include Geraldine Smith and Kaya Selby in administrative roles. (Staff count ~6 in total, per LinkedIn).

18. Staff with Previous Government Roles: Several Iron Duke staff are former public sector officials. Jesse Corlett previously worked for MBIE, DPMC, EECA and as an advisor in a Minister’s office. Madison Burgess-Smith worked in regulatory policy at the NZ Environmental Protection Authority. Henry Levett was a policy advisor at MBIE (Tourism portfolio). Phil O’Reilly himself sat on government advisory groups (e.g. APEC Business Advisory Council, ILO Governing Body) though he was not a civil servant.

19. Past Employees: Byron Terris – Consultant, worked at Iron Duke Partners for over 7 years (2015–2022). Terris was a co-host of the firm’s podcast and helped grow the business before departing in 2022. (No public information on other departures.)

20. Clients: Data Not Found. (Iron Duke Partners does not disclose its client list publicly. No specific clients have been confirmed in open sources, beyond generic references to “our great clients” in staff communications.)

21. Industries/Sectors Represented: Iron Duke’s consulting spans a wide range of sectors, particularly energy and resources (oil, gas, electricity), infrastructure, climate/environmental policy, transport and tourism, and general business industry issues (trade, manufacturing, education, etc.). O’Reilly’s own advocacy background covers diverse areas from manufacturing and tertiary education to sustainability and employment law.

22. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: In December 2024, Iron Duke Partners (Phil O’Reilly) held a meeting with the Ministry of Disabled People to discuss unspecified matters, as noted in official ministerial briefings. O’Reilly was also appointed to the Government’s Welfare Expert Advisory Group in 2018 (while at Iron Duke) to advise on overhauling the welfare system. These roles were publicly announced. (No formal lobbyist register exists to disclose routine meetings.)

23. Affiliations: Strategic partnership with law firm MinterEllisonRuddWatts (announced 2019) – a collaboration to jointly service clients on public policy and legal matters. Business at OECD (BIAC): Phil O’Reilly serves as Chair of the Business at OECD Executive Board, linking Iron Duke into an international business advocacy network. Iron Duke’s Managing Director also engages with global forums (APEC, ILO) in an affiliated capacity.

24. Sponsorships / Collaborations: University of Auckland Public Policy Club – Iron Duke Partners co-sponsored and judged the club’s Policy Brief Competition in 2024, giving students an opportunity to engage in policy writing. The firm’s consultants frequently collaborate with universities and industry groups on policy events and panel discussions (e.g. public policy career panels).

25. Events: “The Iron Duke Podcast” – a weekly politics and policy podcast launched by Iron Duke staff in 2021 (hosted by M. Burgess-Smith, J. Corlett, H. Levett, et al.). The podcast serves as a public-facing forum for discussing current affairs from the firm’s perspective. Iron Duke has also hosted private briefings and roundtables for clients (not publicly documented).

26. Political Donations: Data Not Found. (No recorded donations by Iron Duke Partners or its principals appear in public electoral donation registers. Phil O’Reilly is not noted as a donor to any political party in available records.)

27. Controversies: Iron Duke Partners itself operates largely out of public view and has not been at the center of media scandals. However, Phil O’Reilly’s lobbying history has attracted controversy. As BusinessNZ CEO he was embroiled in a 2014 dispute over a $1.5m ACC-funded training scheme criticized by a Minister as a “cosy…scam” – O’Reilly publicly defended the programme amid allegations of a rort. In the same period, O’Reilly was one of several lobbyists given swipe-card access to Parliament, a practice widely criticised for blurring lines between officials and lobbyists. These instances, though pre-dating Iron Duke, underscore the backdrop of confidential lobbying and perceived conflicts of interest surrounding the firm’s principal.

28. Other Information of Note: Iron Duke Partners has an Advisory Board of high-profile figures which is unusual for a small firm. Members include former Deloitte CEO Murray Jack (Advisory Board Chair), economist Murray Sherwin CNZM (ex-Productivity Commission and Reserve Bank), corporate director Vanessa Stoddart, Australian business leader Ann Sherry AO, Craig Ellison, and Sir Rob McLeod KNZM (ex-chair of the Business Roundtable). This heavyweight advisory panel provides strategic guidance and signals Iron Duke’s deep integration into elite corporate and government circles. Additionally, O’Reilly is frequently featured in media as a commentator (e.g. RNZ Panel discussions, New Zealand Herald op-eds) identified by his Iron Duke title, further raising the firm’s profile.

29. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: Data Not Found. (No public record of Iron Duke Partners Ltd receiving COVID-19 wage subsidies; any claim was not disclosed, suggesting either no claim or one below public reporting thresholds.)

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Footnotes:

[1] BusinessNZ Chief Executive Phil O’Reilly resignation, BusinessNZ (Press Release), https://www.businessnz.org.nz/news/2021/businessnz-chief-executive-phil-oreilly-resignation/ (O’Reilly announced resignation effective end of 2015 after ten years leading BusinessNZ)

[2] Iron Duke Partners – LinkedIn Company Profile, LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/irondukepartners (States Iron Duke Partners is a Wellington-based Government Relations and Public Policy advisory firm founded in 2015, with 2-10 employees)

[3] Iron Duke Partners Limited – NZ Companies Office Summary, BizDb, https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429041693698/ (Provides registration details: NZBN 9429041693698, Company Number 5668149, registered 15 Apr 2015, industry code M696205 “Business consultant service”; shows 100 shares, with 98% held by Gibson Sheat Trustees Ltd & co-trustees P.J. O’Reilly and J.A. Saddington, and 1 share each held by O’Reilly and Saddington individually)

[4] Staff – Iron Duke Partners (Who We Are), Iron Duke Partners website, https://www.iron-duke.com/staff (Profiles Phil O’Reilly as Managing Director, noting he was previously Chief Executive of BusinessNZ and holds roles at Business at OECD, APEC Business Advisory Council, ILO etc.; profiles of Jesse Corlett, Madison Burgess-Smith, Henry Levett with their prior government roles)

[5] Advisory Board – Iron Duke Partners, Iron Duke Partners website, https://www.iron-duke.com/advisory-board (Lists Advisory Board members: Murray Jack (Chair, former Deloitte NZ CEO and FMA Chair), Craig Ellison (former CEO Ngāi Tahu Holdings, ex-NZTE board), Vanessa Stoddart (director, ex-Air NZ executive, FMA board member), Murray Sherwin CNZM (economist, ex-ProdComm Chair, ex-Reserve Bank dep. gov), Ann Sherry AO (Aus business leader, ex-Westpac NZ CEO), Sir Rob McLeod KNZM (former EY Oceania CEO, ex-Chair Business Roundtable))

[6] New Zealand Business Directory – J.A. Saddington (Company Director profile), nzbusinessdirectory, https://www.nzwao.com/director/Julie+Ann+SADDINGTON/ (Shows Julie Ann Saddington as Director of Iron Duke Partners Ltd since 15 Apr 2015 and director of Fore Business Services Ltd since 2011, with addresses at 95 Customhouse Quay (Baker Tilly Staples Rodway) and previously 50 Customhouse Quay (BDO Wellington))

[7] RNZ News – Govt announces panel to review welfare system, Radio New Zealand, 03 May 2018, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/358364/govt-announces-panel-to-review-welfare-system (Lists members of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group, including “Phil O’Reilly – former chief executive of BusinessNZ, managing director at Iron Duke Partners”)

[8] Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People: Reports to the Minister 2024, Whaikaha.govt.nz, accessed Jan 2025, https://www.whaikaha.govt.nz/about-us/corporate-publications/reports-to-the-minister/reports-to-the-minister-in-2024 (Under December 2024, notes an “Aide Memo / Talking Points” for a “Meeting with Iron Duke Partners” on 11/12/2024, indicating official engagement between Iron Duke and the Minister for Disability Issues)

[9] NZ Lawyer Magazine – MinterEllisonRuddWatts partners with Iron Duke, steps-up public-policy prowess, NZLawyer (Key Media), 01 Apr 2019, https://www.thelawyermag.com/nz/news/general/minterellisonruddwatts-partners-with-iron-duke-steps-up-public-policy-prowess/206744 (Announces strategic partnership between MinterEllisonRuddWatts and Iron Duke Partners to combine public policy advisory and legal services. Quotes MinterEllison CEO Andrew Poole and Iron Duke MD Phil O’Reilly about helping clients influence policy and “creating better public policy outcomes…good for all New Zealanders.”)

[10] RNZ In Depth – ‘Astonishment’ at lobbyists advising Transparency International on ethics, Radio NZ (Guyon Espiner), 24 Jul 2023, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/494351/astonishment-at-lobbyists-advising-transparency-international-on-ethics-and-rules-of-their-own-industry (Investigative report highlighting that lobbying is unregulated in NZ: “Unlike most of the developed world, lobbying is unregulated in New Zealand. There are no obligations on lobbying firms to register or to disclose their clients and no stand-down periods…”; also describes Transparency International NZ involving lobbyists in drafting lobbying ethics, raising conflict concerns)

[11] Channel Infrastructure NZ – Annual Report 2024, Channel Infrastructure NZ Ltd, 28 Feb 2025, https://channelnz.com/investors/2024-annual-report (Corporate report footnote references consulting engagements, including “Iron Duke Partners” among service providers brought in during 2024 alongside engineering and advisory firms)

[12] Taxpayers’ Union – Business NZ finally responds to allegations of cosy deal, NZ Taxpayers’ Union website, 16 Jan 2014, https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/business_nz_finally_responds_to_allegations_of_cosy_deal (Recaps a Stuff article on ACC Minister Judith Collins cancelling a $1.5m/year ACC safety training program run by BusinessNZ & unions. Collins called it a “cosy…scam”. BusinessNZ CEO Phil O’Reilly responded via press release rejecting the allegations and criticizing lobbyist Jordan Williams and Collins. Illustrates O’Reilly defending a controversial programme funded by ACC that Collins said wasted 84c of every $1)

[13] Otago Daily Times – Is democracy under threat?, ODT (Claire Trevett/Bryce Edwards analysis), 31 May 2014, https://www.odt.co.nz/news/politics/democracy-under-threat (Details multiple lobbying and cronyism concerns in NZ politics circa 2014. Notably lists that the number of “Approved Visitor” swipe-card lobbyists in Parliament had grown to 63, including “BusinessNZ chief executive Phil O’Reilly” and many other corporate lobbyists, giving them access without security checks. Highlights widespread concern about “cash for access” and lack of transparency in lobbying at that time)

[14] NZ Herald – Political Roundup: Is there an establishment in NZ?, NZ Herald (Bryce Edwards), 08 June 2016, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/political-roundup-is-there-an-establishment-in-nz/3R26IYD6NAWVRYSZDUNGJPZXLM/ (Discusses power networks in NZ. Notes Phil O’Reilly’s departure from BusinessNZ as a significant shift, referencing a John Anthony article “Phil O’Reilly resigns as head of BusinessNZ”. Also mentions honours and appointments of business figures close to government, illustrating the tight relationships between political and corporate elites.)

[15] Transparency International NZ – Let’s Level the Lobbying Playing Field (Campaign Launch), Transparency.org.nz, 2023, https://www.transparency.org.nz/our-work/level-the-lobbying-playing-field/ (States “New Zealand has no regulation on lobbying. There are no stand-down periods through the ‘revolving door’ between lobbying and high-level policy roles. We lag behind other countries in transparency.” – background for lobbying reform campaign)

[16] RNZ News – ‘Unchecked’ industry lobbying needs regulating, say ex-politicians, RNZ, 14 Feb 2022, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/461879/unchecked-industry-lobbying-needs-regulating-say-ex-politicians (Former MPs from both National and Labour call for a lobbying register, citing concerns that hidden lobbying is undermining democracy and that NZ is an outlier without proper rules)

[17] Rotary Club of Newmarket – Speaker Bio: Phil O’Reilly ONZM, rotarynewmarket.org.nz, May 2020, https://rotarynewmarket.org.nz/stories/speaker-phil-o-reilly (Bio notes Phil is Managing Director of Iron Duke Partners, Chair of Business at OECD, and gives his perspective that the COVID wage subsidy was the right move but shouldn’t become permanent – indicating his public stance on government support to business)

[18] NZ Herald – Phil O’Reilly: NZ’s economy needs to be ready for a trade war, NZ Herald, 04 Apr 2018, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/phil-oreilly-nzs-economy-needs-to-be-ready-for-a-trade-war/7JZHQY2Q6ZCZ5KP7YGXDWGGQUU/ (Op-ed by O’Reilly as Iron Duke MD, warning about global trade tensions – shows him continuing to speak on trade policy, presumably reflecting clients’ export interests, and identified with Iron Duke)

[19] Iron Duke Partners – Insights (Blog/Podcast), Iron-duke.com, 2023-2024, https://www.iron-duke.com/insights (Collection of articles by Iron Duke staff. E.g., “What business actually needs from this Government” (Dec 2023) by M. Burgess-Smith, arguing from a business perspective; Iron Duke Podcast episodes discussing coalition negotiations and election outcomes; posts on Budget 2024, first 100 days of Government, and migration policy – providing clues to firm’s policy positions)

[20] LinkedIn – Byron Terris post on leaving Iron Duke, LinkedIn.com, 2022, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/byron-terris-8b86259b_on-friday-i-finished-at-iron-duke-partners-activity-7160034113800855552-T2zJ (Byron Terris, after 7+ years at Iron Duke, thanks Phil O’Reilly and team, mentions working with “great clients” and the Iron Duke Advisory Board, and names Geraldine Smith & Kaya Selby as support staff. Indicates internal culture and the firm’s pride in policy impact. Byron moved overseas in 2022.)

[21] RNZ Panel – Wallace Chapman with Phil O’Reilly, RNZ The Panel, multiple episodes 2021-2023, e.g., https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/2018873778/the-panel-with-verity-johnson-and-phil-o-reilly-part-1 (Phil O’Reilly frequently appears on RNZ’s “The Panel” as a commentator introduced as “Director at Iron Duke Partners, Former Chair of Business@OECD” discussing current political issues – demonstrating media influence without disclosure of any client interest)

[22] NZ Herald – Political lobbying: Time to tackle transparency and access, NZ Herald (opinion), 02 Mar 2022, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/political-lobbying-time-to-tackle-transparency-and-access/2U2X35Y3IRF6TJNK6O3ZVO57DY/ (Highlights that NZ does not require lobbyists to register or disclose clients/funding or abide by a code of conduct, unlike many countries. Calls for reforms such as a public register of lobbyists and disclosure of meetings to level the playing field and restore trust)

[23] Democracy Project – Integrity Briefing: Lobbying reform battle heats up, Bryce Edwards (Substack), 30 Aug 2023, https://democracyproject.substack.com/p/integrity-briefing-lobbying-reform (Bryce Edwards describes the push for lobbying transparency and notes pushback: “the push for transparency has provoked a defensive backlash from some of the very political insiders who benefit from the opaque status quo.” Implies lobbyists are resisting change.)

[24] Iron Duke Partners – Services, Iron-duke.com, 2021, https://www.iron-duke.com/services (Describes Iron Duke’s offerings: public policy advisory, strategy and governance, stakeholder engagement, etc., and their “global outlook on NZ’s evolving business and policy challenges.” Emphasises building networks and capability – marketing language positioning them as constructive enablers for clients.)

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