Latent Consultancy
Official Name: Latent Service Limited (trading as “Latent Consultancy”)[79].
Company Registration: NZ Limited Company (Company No. 9280101) registered on 30 September 2024[79]. New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) 9429052379093[79]. Status: Registered (active)[79].
Addresses: Registered office and service address at Wellington, New Zealand (care of Bryan Dorn)[79]. No additional branch addresses publicly listed (Data Not Found).
Leadership (Directors): Bryan Douglas Dorn and Gerald Gordon Leslie “Josh” Wineera – both appointed as directors on 30 Sep 2024[79]. Josh Wineera is a retired NZ Army Lieutenant Colonel and former Defence Attaché[83][15] (see Staffing/Government roles below). Bryan Dorn is a former NZ Army officer (staff role in Force Development) with a Master’s in International Relations[35].
Shareholders / Ownership: Privately held by its co-founders. Dorn and Wineera are the sole shareholder-directors (equal ownership presumed; no external shareholders disclosed) (Data Not Found)[78].
Key Staffing and Government Service: The company’s principals are former government/military personnel. Josh Wineera – ex-NZ Defence Force (Lt Col) with roles including second-in-command of an artillery regiment and NZ Defence Adviser (Attaché) to Pacific nations[5][83]. He also briefly served as an Account Manager in the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 vaccine programme in 2021[61]. Bryan Dorn – former NZ Army General Staff (Capability/Force Development) officer, involved in Army concept development circa mid-2000s[35]. No current officials on staff (both principals operate in private capacity).
Declared Clients: None publicly declared. The company does not disclose any client names on its website or filings (Data Not Found). No client portfolio has been published, and there are no known public references to specific corporate or government clients.
Business Activities: Consultancy specializing in geopolitics, defence technology, and innovation, with services in Pacific market access, infrastructure & green tech, and access to international capital[1]. The firm positions itself as a broker of partnerships and deals across government and high-tech private sectors in New Zealand, the Pacific, and globally[6]. Industry classification: Management consultancy service (ANZSIC code M696245)[79].
Affiliations: No formal corporate memberships or affiliations are disclosed (e.g. not openly listed as a member of the NZ Defence Industry Association or similar industry bodies – Data Not Found). The organisation’s website and profiles highlight connections with Pacific regional networks and overseas partners in a general sense[1] but do not name specific affiliate organizations. (Josh Wineera individually is a Visiting Fellow at University of Canterbury’s Pacific Security Hub[13], a UK-funded Pacific security initiative[74], but this is an academic affiliation of the person, not a declared corporate partnership of Latent Consultancy.)
Political Donations: No records found. Neither the company nor its directors are recorded as donors in NZ Electoral Commission public donation returns (Data Not Found). There is no evidence of political contributions by Latent or its principals above disclosure thresholds in the last decade.
Government Contracts and Funding: No public contracts or subsidies identified. A search of government procurement databases yields no contracts awarded to Latent Service Ltd (Data Not Found). The company is newly established and does not appear in Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) contract award lists or government subsidy/grant announcements as of 2025.
Controversies: None documented in public sources. There have been no reported scandals or legal disputes involving Latent Consultancy. No media investigations have singled out the firm for wrongdoing. (Notably, the absence of a lobbying register in NZ means any behind-the-scenes influence is not readily documented[66]. This lack of disclosure is itself noteworthy – see Analysis.)
Public Engagements: Latent’s principals actively engage in public commentary on defence and security issues. Josh Wineera in particular has written opinion columns for BusinessDesk[13] and the NZ Herald (as early as 2012) and contributes to defence industry publications like Line of Defence Magazine[5]. He has been featured in interviews on RNZ (Nine to Noon, Morning Report) as a “defence consultant” or expert commenting on policy[15][83]. The company maintains a social media presence (e.g. the “@Latentservices” account on X/Twitter) to share views on defence policy and technology, though these communications reveal no client names.
Other Notable Details:
Founding Context: Latent Service Ltd was founded in 2024, shortly after a change in NZ’s defence policy environment (coinciding with a Defence Policy Review process in 2022–2023). The timing suggests an intent to capitalize on emerging security initiatives and technology partnerships[13].
Head of Partnerships / Innovation: The company’s website lists Josh Wineera as “Head of Partnerships” and Bryan Dorn as “Head of Innovation,” with contact emails[1]. This indicates their internal roles aligning with leveraging Wineera’s network for partnerships and Dorn’s technical/planning background for innovation.
Transparency Gaps: The firm does not publish an annual report, client list, or transparency statement. Its minimal website provides a mission statement but no detail on ownership or governance beyond contact names[1]. This opacity is notable given the sectors it operates in (defence and government-adjacent consulting).
(Fields not applicable or with no available data are marked “Data Not Found.”)
Sources:
[1] “Latent Consultancy – Company Website (‘Our story’).” Latentservice.com – Company official site. https://www.latentservice.com/[1]
[2] “Josh Wineera (Profile) – Contributor/Author.” Line of Defence Magazine (Defsec New Zealand), 12 March 2024. https://defsec.net.nz/2024/03/12/josh-wineera/[5]
[3] “Keeping the peace in Ukraine: How ready would NZ forces be?” RNZ – Nine to Noon, 19 Feb 2025. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018975503/keeping-the-peace-in-ukraine-how-ready-would-nz-forces-be[15]
[4] “Finally, the business end of Defence’s big investments.” BusinessDesk, Opinion by Josh Wineera, 05 May 2025. https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/opinion/finally-the-business-end-of-defences-big-investments[13]
[5] “‘Astonishment’ at lobbyists advising Transparency International on ethics and rules of their own industry.” RNZ News, 24 July 2023 (Guyon Espiner). https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/494351/astonishment-at-lobbyists-advising-transparency-international-on-ethics-and-rules-of-their-own-industry[66]
[6] “Latent – About Us (LinkedIn company profile).” LinkedIn, accessed May 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/company/latentservicenz[6]
[7] “LATENT SERVICE LIMITED – NZ Company Summary.” New Zealand Business Directory (nzwao.com), updated 30 Sep 2024. https://www.nzwao.com/companies/latent-service-limited/[79]
[8] “Bryan Dorn – Contributor Biography.” Australian Army Research Centre (Army.gov.au), circa 2016. https://researchcentre.army.gov.au/about-us/contributor-biographies/bryan-dorn[35]
[9] “Former soldier on defence spending boost.” RNZ – Morning Report, 25 May 2025. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018982300/former-soldier-on-defence-spending-boost[83]
[10] “Canadian technology helps New Zealand Navy track Chinese warships.” Line of Defence Magazine – Autumn 2025 (Josh Wineera), Defsec.net.nz, 12 Mar 2025. https://defsec.net.nz/2025/03/12/canadian-technology-helps-nz-navy-track-chinese-ships/[25]
[11] “The case for ‘made in New Zealand’ defence tech.” BusinessDesk, 10 Feb 2025 (Dileepa Fonseka). https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/politics/the-case-for-made-in-new-zealand-defence-tech[62]
[12] “New Pacific security hub to boost collaboration and research.” University of Canterbury News, 19 Dec 2024. https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/news-and-events/news/2024/new-pacific-security-hub-to-boost-collaboration-and-research[74]
[13] “Latent Service Ltd – Company registration details.” NZ Companies Office (via New Zealand Business Directory). https://www.nzwao.com/companies/latent-service-limited/[79]
[14] “Company Director: Gerald Gordon Leslie Wineera (search results).” New Zealand Business Directory, accessed 2025. https://www.nzwao.com/director/Gerald+Gordon+Leslie+WINEERA/[78]
[15] “Latent Consultancy introduction tweet (Josh Wineera on X).” Twitter/X post via TwStalker, 2025. (Shows description: “Latent Consultancy… specialising in geopolitics, defence technology and innovation”). https://twstalker.com/JoshWineera (archived snippet)[31]
[16] “Josh Wineera (@JoshWineera) – Twitter bio.” Twitter/X, profile accessed 2025. (“Veteran… Geostrategic specialist… Director and co-founder of Latent”). https://twitter.com/JoshWineera[4]
[17] “Defence Policy Review – Detailed submissions (Jan–Apr 2023).” NZ Ministry of Defence, published 04 Aug 2023. https://www.defence.govt.nz/publications/defence-policy-review-detailed-submissions[56]
[18] “Launch of NZ Lobbying & Influence Register – Integrity Institute (LinkedIn post).” LinkedIn, 2023. (Notes NZ’s lack of official lobbying register as context for the project)[65]
[19] “Transparency International NZ – Let’s Level the Lobbying Playing Field (Campaign Launch).” Transparency.org.nz, March 2023. (Highlights absence of lobbying regulation and revolving door issues in NZ)[65]
[20] “Hansard (Parliamentary Debates) – Prime Minister’s statement on lobbying transparency.” Beehive.govt.nz, 2023. (PM Hipkins announcing steps for lobbying transparency)[65]
[21] “Latent Consultancy social media post – ‘After China’s flexing, next steps for NZ defence’.” LinkedIn (Latent post), 3 Mar 2025. (References Wineera’s opinion piece in The Post)[32]
[22] “NZ Companies Office – Shareholding search result for Wineera.” CompanyHub NZ (archived search), 2024. (Shows Wineera as 50% shareholder of Latent Service Ltd)[17]
[23] “Massey University Profile – Josh Wineera 2012 PDF.” Massey News (Wineera-Pacific.pdf), June 2012. (Wineera identified as Massey lecturer and CSCAP member)[52]
[24] “NZ Gazette 30 Jan 2007 – Military Promotions.” New Zealand Gazette via NZLII, 2007. (Lists Lt Col G.G.L. Wineera in RNZA)[59]
[25] “Line of Defence Magazine Autumn 2025 – Editorial note.” Defsec NZ (LinkedIn), April 2025. (Mentions contributors Judith Collins, Wayne Mapp, and Josh Wineera in that issue)[6]
(All links accessed and verified May 2025. Some sources are media articles or official documents providing factual information; others are LinkedIn or social media posts indicating the subject’s self-described roles. No confidential or non-public sources were used. “Data Not Found” indicates no information could be located in public records for that field.)
Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz