Museum Street Strategies

1. Business / Trading Name: Museum Street Strategies Limited (trading as “Museum Street Strategies”).

2. Company Number: 8717730.

3. New Zealand Business Number (NZBN): 9429051276157.

4. Entity Type: New Zealand Limited Company.

5. Date of Incorporation: 21 April 2023.

6. Company Status: Registered (Active).

7. Registered Office Address: Level 3, 104 The Terrace, Wellington 6011, New Zealand.

8. Postal Address: PO Box 13486, Tauranga Central, Tauranga 3141, New Zealand.

9. Founders: Ross Stephen Browne; Timothy John Hurdle (co-founders and equal owners).

10. Directors / Principals: Ross Stephen Browne (Director); Timothy John Hurdle (Director) – both appointed 21 April 2023.

11. Ownership Structure: Privately held. Shareholding is split between Ross Browne and Tim Hurdle (each holding 50% of shares). No external or corporate shareholders.

12. Company Size: Small boutique firm (self-reported “2–10 employees”). Operational team appears to consist primarily of the two directors; no additional full-time staff are publicly known.

13. Headquarters Location: Wellington, New Zealand. (Principal office near Parliament and Ministry of Defence on Museum Street – the firm’s namesake location.)

14. Industry Classification: Public Relations and Communications Services. The company functions as a public affairs and government relations consultancy.

15. Sector Focus: Defence and National Security. Museum Street Strategies markets itself as New Zealand’s only specialist defence and national security public affairs firm. Its work centers on military, security and foreign policy sectors.

16. Services Provided: Lobbying, government relations strategy, advocacy and strategic communications. The firm offers expertise in navigating government decision-making (“making your voice matter on Museum Street”) and defence procurement processes.

17. Affiliations & Memberships: The firm’s principals are deeply embedded in defence industry networks. Ross Browne has held leadership roles in the New Zealand Defence Industry Association (NZDIA). He is also the Executive Director of the Canada New Zealand Business Council, focusing on strategic partnerships and government relations. (Museum Street Strategies itself is not known to publicly list corporate memberships, but its directors’ affiliations effectively connect the firm to these bodies.)

18. Related Entities / Predecessors: Ross Browne was previously the sole director of Triplex Consulting Limited (est. 2018), a consultancy through which he engaged in defence sector advisory work prior to founding Museum Street Strategies. Tim Hurdle briefly served as a director and shareholder of CT New Zealand Limited in 2019–2020 – this entity appears to have been the New Zealand arm of Crosby Textor (now C|T Group), a political consulting firm. These past roles provide context to the formation of Museum Street Strategies in 2023.

19. Key Personnel Background: Ross Browne – a former commercial advisor to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) with extensive experience in national security and defence procurement. He has also chaired or served in industry groups (e.g. NZDIA) and holds an MBA in Management. Tim Hurdle – a seasoned political adviser; he was a senior adviser to a Cabinet Minister and the National Party’s Campaign Director for the 2020 general election. Hurdle has worked in both government and private infrastructure roles and regularly appears as a political commentator. Both directors leverage these backgrounds in offering lobbying services.

20. Political/Corporate Ties: Tim Hurdle is a well-known National Party operative (former adviser and campaign manager). He also had a stint as a board member (Commissioner) of the Earthquake Commission, a government body, from 2016 to 2019 (a position to which he was appointed by then-National Minister Gerry Brownlee). Ross Browne has primarily a defence-industrial network, having worked within NZDF and industry councils rather than overt party-political roles. Neither the company nor its directors are publicly affiliated to any political party in an official capacity, but Hurdle’s National Party pedigree is noteworthy.

21. Revolving Door Appointments: The principals exemplify the “revolving door” between government and lobbying. Hurdle’s move from a senior political staffer and public appointee to private lobbying consulting is a textbook case. Browne transitioned from advising NZDF and leading industry groups to representing private clients’ interests. These trajectories highlight how insider knowledge and connections are later monetised through lobbying roles – in New Zealand this is not prohibited, as there are no cooling-off periods for ex-officials entering lobbying.

22. Government Engagements: Unofficial Lobbying Activities – Museum Street Strategies’ work is often behind closed doors. Notably, on 8 March 2023 (even before the firm’s official incorporation), Ross Browne met with Defence Minister Hon. Andrew Little at Parliament. The subject of this half-hour meeting was withheld under official information law (likely for national security reasons), indicating it concerned sensitive defence matters. Such direct access to a Minister demonstrates the firm’s ability to reach top decision-makers on behalf of its interests or clients.

23. Clients (Disclosed): Data Not Found. The company does not publicly disclose its client list. Given its niche, clients presumably include defence contractors, security technology firms, or industry associations seeking influence in Wellington. No specific clients have been confirmed in public sources as of this writing, and New Zealand has no mandatory lobbyist disclosure regime that would otherwise reveal this information.

24. Major Contracts or Projects: Data Not Found. There is no public record of government contracts directly awarded to Museum Street Strategies. Any work for clients is on a private consultancy basis, and if the firm has assisted companies in securing defence procurement contracts or policy changes, those dealings remain unofficial and opaque.

25. Controversies: No known public controversies to date. The firm has operated without any reported scandals or negative press coverage since its 2023 launch. It has kept a relatively low public profile (aside from its principals’ commentary roles). Integrity concerns have been raised in general about unregistered lobbying in NZ, but no specific allegation of wrongdoing has surfaced against Museum Street Strategies.

26. Transparency & Accountability: There is no statutory register of lobbyists in New Zealand, and Museum Street Strategies has not voluntarily disclosed details of its lobbying activities. The lack of transparency means the firm’s influence efforts are not officially documented beyond what can be gleaned from ministerial diaries or media. This absence of disclosure is consistent with NZ’s broader lobbying practices (which rely on unofficial channels and personal networks).

27. COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Claims: Data Not Found / Not Applicable. Museum Street Strategies did not exist during the 2020–21 COVID wage subsidy scheme. There is no record of any pandemic-related subsidy or government financial support claimed by this firm.

28. Media and Public Profile: The company maintains a website and a LinkedIn page, but conducts no consumer-facing advertising. Both directors frequently contribute to public discourse: Tim Hurdle writes opinion pieces (e.g. in The Post newspaper and Australia’s ASPI Strategist) and appears on Radio New Zealand as a political commentator, often without overt mention of his lobbying role. Ross Browne has authored articles in defence industry magazines and international outlets, offering analysis on defence policy (for instance, explaining NZ’s Defence Capability Plan to an Australian audience). This media presence raises their profile and indirectly serves to further their influence.

29. Overall Integrity Issues: The firm operates at the intersection of private influence and public policy without formal oversight. Critics note that such lobbyists gain privileged access due to personal connections and can shape policy in ways not visible to the public. Museum Street Strategies embodies these challenges to transparency: it leverages former insiders of the political and defence establishment, operates out of sight with high-level contacts, and has no legal obligation to disclose its clients or lobbying outcomes.

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Sources:

[1] Business / Trading Name: BusinessNZ, Democracy Project – The Integrity Institute (Bryce Edwards), democracyproject.substack.com/p/business-nz (Structure example of registry entries).

[2] Political commentators Fletcher Tabuteau and Tim Hurdle, Radio New Zealand – Nine To Noon (20 Nov 2023), https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018916094/political-commentators-fletcher-tabuteau-and-tim-hurdle (Confirms Tim Hurdle’s background as a former National adviser, 2020 Campaign Director, and his directorship of Museum Street Strategies).

[3] New Zealand is waking up to threats, The Strategist (Australian Strategic Policy Institute) – by Tim Hurdle (15 Jan 2025), https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/new-zealand-is-waking-up-to-threats/ (Opinion by Tim Hurdle discussing NZ’s shifting defence policy; reveals Hurdle as a director of Museum Street Strategies and advocates for greater defence spending).

[4] Team – Museum Street Strategies (About Us), MuseumStreetStrategies.com (company website) – accessed Jan 2025, https://museumstreetstrategies.com/team (Profiles of Ross Browne and Tim Hurdle, including Browne’s defence sector background and Hurdle’s government relations experience).

[5] Ross Browne – Defsec Profile, Line of Defence Magazine (Defsec Media, NZ) – Contributor bio, https://defsec.net.nz/tag/ross-browne/ (Notes Ross Browne as Director of Museum Street Strategies and former NZDF commercial advisor).

[6] Company registration details – Museum Street Strategies Ltd, Company Hub (NZ Companies Office aggregator), https://www.companyhub.nz (Shows company number 8717730, NZBN 9429051276157, registration date 21/4/2023, and directors/shareholders Tim Hurdle and Ross Browne each with 50 shares).

[7] Hon. Andrew Little – Ministerial Diary March 2023, Beehive.govt.nz (Official release) – PDF p.4, https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2023-05/Andrew%20Little%20March%202023%20Diary.pdf (Records a meeting with Ross Browne on 8 March 2023, 11:00–11:30am, at Parliament regarding Defence).

[8] HURDLE, Timothy John – Director Search Results, Company Hub, https://www.companyhub.nz (Lists Tim Hurdle’s directorships, including CT New Zealand Limited: director 12/7/2019 to 25/5/2020 (historic), indicating involvement with Crosby Textor’s NZ entity).

[9] Meet the “fixers”: The people who propelled Wayne Brown to Mayor of Auckland, NZ Herald (10 Oct 2022) – by Bernard Orsman, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/meet-the-fixers-the-people-who-propelled-wayne-brown-to-mayor-of-auckland/AVSYLIY4G6PHF6CU6OZGMB52LE/ (Describes Tim Hurdle as Brown’s campaign director and “mastermind” behind the win, noting his turnaround after National’s 2020 loss).

[10] Lobbying corrupts decisions, The Integrity Institute (NZ) – policy paper, https://theintegrityinstitute.org.nz/lobbying-corrupts-decisions/ (Critiques NZ’s unregulated lobbying environment; details issues like revolving doors, purchased access, and lack of transparency that are directly relevant to Museum St Strategies’ mode of operation).

[11] Balancing ambition and reality on the other side of the ditch, DefenceConnect (AUS) – Opinion by Ross Browne (30 April 2025), via LinkedIn post reference, https://www.defenceconnect.com.au (Ross Browne explains NZ’s 2025 Defence Capability Plan to an Australian audience; notes NZ’s strategic shift and is cited in defence forums).

[12] OIA Release 2024: Biographies (Ross Browne), NZ Government via FYI.org.nz (Official Information Act response), https://fyi.org.nz/request/27003/response/103156/attach/3/OIA_2024_5041_Enclosure_1_Biographies.pdf (Provides a bio of Ross Browne: outlines his consulting role in defence/security, leadership in NZDIA, and position as Exec Director of Canada NZ Business Council).

[13] Ministerial Appointment: Earthquake Commission Board, NZ Gazette (26 May 2016) – Notice by Hon Gerry Brownlee, https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2016-go2987 (Announces the appointment of Timothy John Hurdle as Commissioner of the EQC for a term 2016–2019).

[14] Museum Street Strategies – LinkedIn Page, LinkedIn.com/company/museum-street-strategies, accessed Jan 2025 (Describes firm’s focus, specialties in Defence, National Security, Lobbying; shows HQ in Wellington and company size “2–10”).

[15] Defence Industry Association elects new Chair, Line of Defence (Defsec, 8 Feb 2023), https://defsec.net.nz/2023/02/08/new-zealand-defence-industry-association-new-chair/ (Update on NZDIA governance; indicates ongoing industry leadership context around time Ross Browne was involved, though Browne not named explicitly).

[16] RNZ interview – Bryce Edwards on lobbying and influence, Radio NZ/Magic Talk (2023) – (Referenced via Democracy Project) (Bryce Edwards discusses the Lobbying & Influence Register and need to scrutinise firms like Museum St Strategies, highlighting the unofficial influence they wield – secondary source inference).

[17] DefencePolicy: “Extraordinary scope” of NZ’s 2025 plan, DefenceTalk forum (April 2025), https://www.defencetalk.com/military/forums/t/nzdf-general-discussion-thread.6137/page-451 (Forum post quoting Ross Browne’s commentary that NZ’s 2025 Defence Capability Plan was “extraordinary…a cultural shift”, illustrating his influence on narrative).

[18] Museum Street Strategies LinkedIn update (Nov 2023), via LinkedIn.com (Firm highlights new Defence Capability Plan, industry strategy, and tech accelerator – implying opportunities for businesses and offering their help, essentially advertising their lobbying services in context of policy announcements).

[19] NZUS Council profile – Lobbying Register, Democracy Project – Integrity Institute, democracyproject.substack.com (Example of how another influence org is profiled, noting “Entity Type: Inc Society (non-profit)… Business Classification: Data Not Found”, used as reference for structure of entries).

[20] Judith Collins Takes Charge: It’s time for change, Line of Defence Magazine – by Ross Browne (25 Jan 2024), summary at Defsec.net.nz, https://defsec.net.nz/2024/01/25/judith-collins-takes-charge-its-time-for-change/ (Browne’s op-ed urging defence reforms under an incoming National Minister; indicative of his lobbying via media).

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