McKinsey NZ

1. Business / Trading Name: McKinsey Pacific Rim, Inc. – trading as McKinsey & Company (New Zealand). Formerly registered in NZ as McKinsey & Company, Inc. New Zealand (1996–2000).

2. Company Number: 7486196 (NZ Companies Office identifier for McKinsey Pacific Rim, Inc.).

3. NZBN: 9429047469648 (New Zealand Business Number for McKinsey Pacific Rim, Inc.).

4. Entity Type: Overseas Company (Non-ASIC)* – registered in NZ as a branch of an overseas incorporated entity. (*Non-ASIC indicates not registered with Australian regulator).

5. Business Classification: M696245 – Management consultancy service.

6. Industry Category: Professional Services – Management Consulting (ANZSIC: M696200 “Management Advice and Related Consulting Services”).

7. Year Founded: 2019 (current NZ branch registered May 22, 2019). McKinsey’s prior NZ branch operated 1996–2000 before removal.

8. Addresses:

Office (Physical & Postal): Level 13, 188 Quay Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ.

9. Website URL: www.mckinsey.com (Global site; includes Australia & New Zealand section).

10. LinkedIn URL: linkedin.com/company/mckinsey (Global LinkedIn page; no separate NZ page).

11. Company Hub NZ URL: companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429047469648 (NZ Company Registry info on McKinsey Pacific Rim, Inc.).

12. NZ Companies Office URL: https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/7486196

13. Social Media URLs: None in NZ-specific capacity. (Global McKinsey uses @McKinsey on Twitter and other platforms).

14. Ultimate Holding Company: No single holding company – McKinsey & Company is a privately held global partnership of its principals. (The NZ entities are ultimately controlled by McKinsey’s partner owners rather than a parent corporation).

15. Key Shareholders: (NZO Limited, the local NZ-incorporated subsidiary, has two equal shareholders):

Wesley Jon Walden – 50 shares (50%) – Senior Partner (ANZ Managing Partner) based in Australia.
Isabel Maria Domingues – 50 shares (50%) – Senior Partner (Finance leader) based in Australia.

(Previous McKinsey NZ shareholding was likewise held by senior partners, e.g. Angus Dawson, John Lydon, etc., during 2014–2023.)

16. Leadership: (Key local and regional leaders)

Mitch Kornman – Managing Partner, McKinsey New Zealand (Office Manager for NZ). Based in Auckland, leads NZ client engagements.
Wesley Jon Walden – Managing Partner, McKinsey A/NZ (Regional head). Oversees six offices including Auckland, succeeded Angus Dawson in 2023.
Isabel Domingues – Director (NZ entities). Senior partner involved in NZ governance; appointed 2023 as NZO Limited director/shareholder.

17. Staff: Approximately 20–30 staff in New Zealand (estimated). The NZ office is relatively small, comprising a few partners and consultants within McKinsey’s ~500 employees across Australia & NZ. (McKinsey does not disclose NZ-specific headcount; the Auckland office is staffed by a local consulting team supported by the wider A/NZ pool.)

18. Staff with Previous Government Roles: Data Not Found. No NZ McKinsey staff with known prior public-office roles have been publicly identified. (Globally, McKinsey alumni often enter government, but in NZ there is no notable ex-politician or ex-senior public servant on staff).

19. Past Employees: Notable alumni: Ian Narev – former McKinsey consultant in NZ, later CEO of Commonwealth Bank. Andrew Grant – senior partner who led McKinsey’s public sector practice globally, served on NZ boards (e.g. Predator Free 2050) after leaving McKinsey. (McKinsey’s NZ presence has been limited; relatively few alumni are publicly prominent locally.)

20. Clients: (Known major clients in New Zealand)

Government / Public: KiwiRail (rail operator) – strategic performance review; New Zealand Government (Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council project on future of work)【16†page】; MBIE/Te Puni Kōkiri (Māori Future of Work report); likely various ministries via policy consulting.
State-owned & Local Bodies: Fonterra (dairy co-op) – “Velocity” cost-cutting programme; NZ Super Fund (potential advisory, not confirmed publicly).
Private Sector: Spark NZ (telecom) – enterprise-wide Agile transformation; The Warehouse Group (retail) – “Rise” restructuring programme; Air New Zealand (rumoured strategy projects, not officially disclosed); major banks (ANZ’s CEO engaged in McKinsey research); various NZX-listed firms seeking strategy or turnaround advice.

21. Industries/Sectors Represented: McKinsey NZ has advised clients across transportation and infrastructure (rail, ports), primary industries (dairy agriculture), telecommunications and tech, retail and consumer goods, financial services, and the public sector. (Its portfolio spans most major sectors, reflecting McKinsey’s broad consulting reach.)

22. Publicly Disclosed Engagements:

KiwiRail Strategic Review (2023–24): Hired to assess rail freight and ferry operations; contract cost NZ$8 million. Triggered ministerial concern over “excessive” fees and an Ombudsman review of disclosure.
Fonterra “Velocity” Programme (2017): Large-scale cost reduction initiative at dairy giant Fonterra; McKinsey reportedly paid ~NZ$100 million for this engagement.
The Warehouse “Rise” Restructuring (2019–2020): McKinsey believed to be the unnamed consultancy paid NZ$22 million for advising job cuts and store closures at The Warehouse Group. The client’s CEO was contractually barred from naming McKinsey.
PM’s Business Advisory Council – Future of Work Report (2019): Commissioned to research the future of work for Māori. McKinsey produced a report for the advisory council and ministers【16†page】.

(Other McKinsey NZ projects often remain confidential due to NDAs.)

23. Affiliations: McKinsey NZ is a signatory to the Voluntary Tax Transparency Code in Australia (covering its Pacific Rim entity). It engages with industry initiatives such as the Aotearoa New Zealand Skills Pledge 2019 (via the PM’s Business Advisory Council). Globally, McKinsey is affiliated with forums like the World Economic Forum and local business councils, but in NZ it keeps a low public profile, typically participating through thought leadership and client-sponsored programs rather than formal trade associations.

24. Sponsorships / Collaborations: Runs talent development programs and collaborations in NZ/Australia, for example:

McKinsey Women in Leadership Forum – workshops and mentoring for women professionals across A/NZ.
Young Leaders Forum (Australasia) – a leadership development program for emerging leaders in NZ and Australia.
University Outreach: McKinsey sponsors case competitions, recruitment events and scholarships at NZ universities (e.g. graduate networking via student societies).

(No known sponsorship of political or lobbying events; collaborations focus on talent and thought leadership.)

25. Events: McKinsey NZ holds private roundtables and thought leadership events for clients and stakeholders. In 2023 it co-hosted a Transformation Summit in A/NZ, bringing together senior executives to discuss large-scale change. The firm also frequently presents at business conferences (e.g. AFR Workforce Summit 2023 in Australia) and organises invite-only briefings for public sector leaders (for instance, sessions with the NZ public service on digital transformation). These events are typically closed-door and not widely advertised, aligning with McKinsey’s low-key approach in NZ.

26. Political Donations: None disclosed. McKinsey & Co’s policy prohibits corporate political donations, and no donations in NZ have been recorded under the McKinsey name. (A search of Electoral Commission records shows no McKinsey donations, and the firm maintains formal non-partisanship.)

27. Controversies:

KiwiRail Consultant Spend Secrecy (2024): McKinsey’s $8m fee from state-owned KiwiRail was criticized by ministers as “excessive”. KiwiRail initially refused OIA requests to reveal the cost, with the Ombudsman noting McKinsey saw disclosure as a “threat” to its negotiating position. The saga raised concerns about transparency and accountability in use of consultants.
Fonterra & The Warehouse Outcomes: McKinsey-advised restructurings led to mass layoffs (750+ jobs at The Warehouse) and aggressive cost cuts at Fonterra, drawing public and media ire for social impact. The Warehouse’s contract even gagged the company from naming McKinsey, a secrecy clause critiqued as undermining accountability.
Global Scandals Spilling Over: McKinsey’s global misconduct has tainted its NZ image. Notably, McKinsey paid a $573 million settlement in the US over its role in “turbocharging” opioid sales. Its work for authoritarian regimes (e.g. a 2018 report that helped Saudi Arabia identify online dissidents who were later punished) has been condemned. These controversies, while overseas, fuel local skepticism about McKinsey’s ethical standards.
Conflict of Interest Concerns: McKinsey’s simultaneous work for governments and industry (a hallmark of its global practice) faces scrutiny. Internationally it has been rebuked for apparent conflicts – for example advising regulators while consulting for regulated companies. Any such undisclosed conflicts in NZ (if McKinsey were advising government policy while serving private clients in the same sector) would be viewed as serious ethical breaches. (No specific NZ instance has come to light, partly due to opacity of engagements.)

28. Other Information of Note: McKinsey’s NZ presence operates through a complex corporate structure: an NZ-local subsidiary (NZO Limited) and an overseas branch (McKinsey Pacific Rim, Inc.), both ultimately controlled by McKinsey’s Australian-Asia Pacific partnership. This structure, set up via law firm Bell Gully in 1998, allowed McKinsey to maintain minimal public disclosure for years (e.g. filing documents under an obscure name “NZO Limited” and cycling shareholding among partner nominees). The firm’s re-entry into NZ in 2019 went largely under the radar, unlike rival consultancies that announced office launches. Also notable: McKinsey insists on confidentiality – contracts often include NDAs that can prevent even acknowledging McKinsey’s role. This culture of secrecy means McKinsey’s influence can occur “in the shadows,” prompting calls for greater transparency in both corporate and government engagements.

29. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: No. There is no record of McKinsey NZ ever receiving COVID-19 Wage Subsidy payments. The firm did not seek public pandemic support in NZ, as its business remained profitable and was not eligible (consulting revenue did not suffer the 30–50% drop required). McKinsey continued operating through the pandemic without government subsidies, in contrast to some firms that took and later returned wage subsidies.

Sources:

[1] MCKINSEY PACIFIC RIM, INC. – Company registration details, NZ Business Directory (nzwao.com), https://www.nzwao.com/companies/mckinsey-pacific-rim-inc-2/

[2] MCKINSEY & COMPANY, INC. NEW ZEALAND – (1996–2000) company record, NZ Business Directory, https://www.nzwao.com/companies/mckinsey-company-inc-new-zealand/

[3] Company number 7486196; NZBN 9429047469648 (McKinsey Pacific Rim, Inc.), Company Hub NZ (search result snippet), https://www.companyhub.nz/ (accessed via web cache)

[4] McKinsey Pacific Rim, Inc. – Address in Auckland (Floor 13, 188 Quay Street), The Grid – SGP, https://sgpgrid.com/company-details/nz/mckinsey-pacific-rim-inc-ID0001

[5] KiwiRail’s spend on McKinsey & Company consultants kept secret after Ombudsman ruling, NZ Herald, 22 Jan 2025 (Georgina Campbell), https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/kiwirails-spend-on-mckinsey-company-consultants-kept-secret-after-ombudsman-ruling/3PC4Z2EN6NC3FGJHBASNP6QXX4/

[6] KiwiRail’s $8m bill for consultants is unacceptable – minister, Radio NZ News, 2 Apr 2025, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/top/556958/kiwirail-s-8m-bill-for-consultants-is-unacceptable-minister

[7] The cost-cutting consultants cashing in at The Warehouse, The Spinoff (via BusinessDesk, Rebecca Stevenson), 22 Oct 2020, https://thespinoff.co.nz/money/22-10-2020/the-cost-cutting-consultants-cashing-in-at-the-warehouse

[8] McKinsey elevates three to Australia and New Zealand partnership (Guilherme Riederer promotion in Auckland), Consultancy.com.au, 11 Dec 2022, https://www.consultancy.com.au/news/6232/mckinsey-elevates-three-to-australia-and-new-zealand-partnership

[9] McKinsey appoints Wesley Walden as new A/NZ managing partner (500 staff across six offices), Consultancy.com.au, 20 Jan 2023, https://www.consultancy.com.au/news/6470/mckinsey-appoints-wesley-walden-as-new-anz-managing-partner

[10] Mitch Kornman – Managing Partner New Zealand (profile), McKinsey & Company website, https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/mitch-kornman

[11] McKinsey Pacific Rim, Inc. – Voluntary Tax Transparency Code signatory (Australia), McKinsey & Company (Contact page), https://www.mckinsey.com/au/contact-us 【see “Voluntary Tax Transparency Code”】

[12] Democracy Project – Bryce Edwards: Time for a big debate about Govt use of business consultants (NZ$1.244b on contractors), democracyproject.nz, 10 Feb 2023, https://democracyproject.nz/2023/02/10/bryce-edwards-time-for-a-big-debate-about-govt-use-of-business-consultants/

[13] Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council – Future of Work (Implications for Māori) report (MBIE draft), MBIE (Proactive release), May 2019, mbie.govt.nz (PDF)

[14] All in: From recovery to agility at Spark New Zealand (interview with Spark execs), McKinsey & Company, 11 June 2019, https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/all-in-from-recovery-to-agility-at-spark-new-zealand

[15] Consulting Giant McKinsey to Settle Opioid Claims for $573 Million, NPR News, 4 Feb 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/02/04/963864747/consulting-giant-mckinsey-to-settle-opioid-claims-for-573-million

[16] NYTimes report: Twitter and McKinsey helped Saudi Arabia silence critics (McKinsey report identified dissidents), Vox Media, 21 Oct 2018, https://www.vox.com/2018/10/20/18003792/saudi-arabia-mckinsey-twitter-khashoggi

[17] Company director records – Angus Dawson (director of McKinsey NZ entities, 2019–2023) and others, NZ Business Directory, https://www.nzwao.com/director/Angus+Arnott+DAWSON/

[18] NZO Limited – NZ McKinsey subsidiary (100 shares, shareholders Walden & Domingues), BizDB New Zealand, https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429037690182/

[19] Ombudsman asks KiwiRail to release ‘excessive’ consultant spend (Nicola Willis: cost “excessive and not justifiable”), NZ Herald, 19 Oct 2024, (premium) – referencing Ombudsman Peter Boshier reconsideration.

[20]History of our firm – McKinsey (ownership structure: private corporation owned by partners), EBSCO / Private Equity Intl. (summary), via Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinsey_%26_Company (Ownership and structure)

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