Pfizer NZ

  1. Full Legal Name: Pfizer New Zealand Limited (commonly known as Pfizer NZ Ltd).

  1. New Zealand Business Number (NZBN): 9429040634296.

  1. Company Number (NZ Companies Office): 71350.

  1. Date of Incorporation: 12 May 1961. Pfizer NZ has operated in New Zealand for over 60 years.

  1. Entity Type: New Zealand Limited Company (Ltd).

  1. Company Status: Registered and currently active.

  1. Previous Names: Pfizer (N.Z.) Limited (1961–1966) and Pfizer Laboratories Limited (1966–2003) (name changes reflecting corporate rebranding and global mergers).

  1. Registered Office Address: Generator NZ, Level 10, 11 Britomart Place, Auckland 1010, New Zealand. (Current since 15 June 2021; previously at 8 Nugent Street, Grafton, Auckland.)

  1. Address for Service: Level 10, 11 Britomart Place, Auckland 1010 (same as registered office).

  1. Company Directors (Board): Bradley James Apps (appointed Nov 2016), Anne Margueriitte (Anne) Harris – Managing Director Australia & New Zealand (appointed Mar 2020), Stuart Ross Hunt (appointed Feb 2021), and Nyree Theresa Fariu (appointed Feb 2024). (All current directors; Harris is based in Australia as Pfizer’s ANZ Managing Director.) Past long-serving director Anita Thorpe (1996–2021) and others have retired from the board.

  1. Key Executive Leadership: Pfizer’s Australia-New Zealand operations are led by Anne Harris, Managing Director for Pfizer ANZ. The NZ country operations are managed by senior Pfizer NZ staff (e.g. Finance Director Bradley Apps and Market Access Director Stuart Hunt) who also serve on the board. There is no separate publicly listed NZ Chief Executive, as NZ is part of the Pfizer Australia/New Zealand cluster.

  1. Ownership and Parent Company: Pfizer New Zealand Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer’s global holding structure. Its sole shareholder is Pfizer Global Holdings B.V. (Netherlands), holding 10,226,632 shares (100% ownership). Ultimate control rests with Pfizer Inc., a U.S.-based pharmaceutical multinational (NYSE: PFE).

  1. Country of Origin: New Zealand (local company, incorporated in NZ), but 100% foreign-owned by the U.S. parent via Dutch holding.

  1. Head Office (Global): Pfizer Inc. is headquartered in New York, USA. The NZ subsidiary reports into Pfizer’s Australia & New Zealand regional division, headquartered in Sydney.

  1. Number of Employees (NZ): Data Not Found. (Pfizer NZ’s staff is not publicly disclosed; likely on the order of dozens, primarily in sales, medical liaison, and regulatory roles.)

  1. Main Business Activities: Pfizer NZ imports, markets and sells human pharmaceuticals and vaccines. It does not operate manufacturing in New Zealand, focusing on distribution of Pfizer’s prescription medicines (e.g. oncology, cardiology drugs) and vaccines (including the COVID-19 vaccine). Pfizer’s products are supplied to the New Zealand health system through Pharmac (for funded medicines) and through direct contracts with the Ministry of Health for vaccines.

  1. Industry Sector: Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals – Pfizer is one of the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical manufacturers. In New Zealand it operates as part of the medicines and medical supplies industry, dealing primarily with government agencies for medicine funding and approvals.

  1. Regulatory Oversight: Pfizer NZ’s products are subject to approval by Medsafe (NZ Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority) for market authorisation. Pharmac (the Pharmaceutical Management Agency) oversees public funding decisions for Pfizer’s drugs. Pfizer NZ must also comply with NZ’s Medicines Act 1981 and related regulations for pharmaceutical marketing.

  1. Industry Association Affiliations: Pfizer New Zealand is an active member of Medicines New Zealand, the industry association representing innovative pharmaceutical companies. (Pfizer NZ has held leadership roles in this group; e.g. Pfizer executives have sat on Medicines NZ’s Board.) Pfizer is also a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand (AmCham), reflecting its U.S. corporate ties. These affiliations serve as collective lobbying platforms for industry policy interests.

  1. Political Donations: Data Not Found. No political donations by Pfizer New Zealand Ltd are recorded in New Zealand’s Electoral Commission disclosures or donation returns (as of the latest reports) – indicating Pfizer NZ has not made reportable donations to political parties. (Pfizer’s global policy prohibits corporate donations to political candidates outside the U.S., and there is no evidence of Pfizer NZ donating to NZ parties.)

  1. Lobbying and Public Relations Firms: Data Not Found. There is no public record of any external lobbying firm officially engaged by Pfizer NZ. New Zealand has no mandatory lobbyist register, and an Official Information Act request found the Ministry of Health held no information on lobbyists working on Pfizer’s behalf. Pfizer NZ’s government relations are handled in-house (e.g. by its Market Access and Corporate Affairs staff) and via industry groups like Medicines NZ.

  1. Government Contracts: Pfizer NZ has been party to significant government procurement contracts. Notably, it secured New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccine supply agreements in 2020–21: the NZ Government purchased 10 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty) for approx NZ$365 million, alongside smaller orders for other vaccines. Pfizer’s contract with NZ included provisions for delivery schedules and required government indemnification of the company (limiting Pfizer’s liability). Beyond COVID, Pfizer supplies other vaccines on the National Immunisation Schedule (e.g. pneumococcal vaccines) through Ministry of Health contracts, and numerous Pfizer medicines are purchased via Pharmac tenders or negotiations.

  1. Government Funding and Subsidies: There is no direct subsidy to Pfizer NZ’s operations; however, a large portion of Pfizer’s revenue in NZ comes from taxpayer-funded medicine purchases. Pharmac’s annual budget (crown funding) covers many Pfizer products, effectively making the NZ Government a major indirect funder of Pfizer via medicine reimbursements. During the pandemic, the government spent an estimated NZ$1.4 billion on the vaccine rollout, with hundreds of millions paid to Pfizer for vaccines (NZ$36.50 per dose).

  1. Past Employees with Government Ties: Data Not Found. No former New Zealand Cabinet Ministers or MPs are known to have been employed by Pfizer NZ, and no Pfizer NZ executives have been appointed to senior government positions. (Pfizer’s former NZ managing directors have typically been career pharma executives, not political figures.) However, Pfizer and other pharma companies commonly hire ex-government advisers or health officials into government relations roles – such cases are not transparently disclosed in NZ.

  1. Revolving Door Examples: None officially documented. Pfizer NZ’s Government Affairs managers and lobbyists (if any) are not publicly identified, but could include individuals with public sector backgrounds. The lack of a lobbying register in NZ obscures potential “revolving door” movements between government health agencies and Pfizer.

  1. Controversial Engagements – Pharmac Funding Disputes: Pfizer has been involved in high-profile disputes over Pharmac’s drug funding decisions. In the mid-2000s, Pfizer publicly clashed with Pharmac and the Ministry of Health over the funding of certain medicines. Leaked U.S. diplomatic cables (WikiLeaks, 2010) revealed Pfizer viewed New Zealand’s tight drug cost controls as hostile, and even lobbied the U.S. government to pressure NZ to loosen Pharmac’s pricing policies. Pfizer (through industry groups) has persistently campaigned for a larger medicines budget and protested Pharmac’s slow adoption of new therapies.

  1. Controversial Engagements – COVID-19 Vaccine Deal: Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine agreement with NZ drew scrutiny for its secrecy and indemnity clauses. The government, under Pfizer’s contract terms, agreed to keep pricing and supply details confidential. The Chief Ombudsman confirmed that disclosure of Pfizer’s vaccine price was withheld to avoid “prejudice to Pfizer’s commercial position” and to secure ongoing supply. This lack of transparency – largely at Pfizer’s insistence – was criticised by watchdogs concerned about public accountability in such a large deal.

  1. Conflict of Interest and Integrity Issues: No specific conflicts of interest involving Pfizer NZ personnel and government officials have been confirmed in public records. However, Pfizer’s close engagement with officials during the vaccine procurement (including direct phone calls between Pfizer’s CEO and NZ’s Prime Minister) raised questions about privileged access. Pfizer also sponsored informational webinars and expert talks during the pandemic, blurring lines between public health messaging and corporate influence (integrity advocates argue this can burnish Pfizer’s image while its lobbying occurs behind closed doors).

  1. Transparency and Compliance Policies: Pfizer NZ claims to uphold high ethical standards. The company has a global Anti-Bribery/Anti-Corruption policy banning any improper payments to officials. Pfizer NZ is a signatory to the Medicines New Zealand Code of Practice, which includes a voluntary transparency initiative to disclose certain payments to healthcare professionals. Nonetheless, these measures have been criticised as “integrity washing” – voluntary disclosures are limited, and Pfizer NZ’s influence on policy and decision-makers often remains hidden due to weak lobbying transparency laws.


Sources:

[1] Pfizer New Zealand Limited – Company Profile and NZBN, NZL Business Directory (nzlbusiness.com), https://www.nzlbusiness.com/company/registered/Pfizer-New-Zealand-Limited

[2] Pfizer New Zealand Limited – Business Information, BizDB, https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429040634296/ (company registration details, directors, addresses)

[3] New Zealand Companies Office – Company Summary (Pfizer New Zealand Ltd), NZ Companies Office, companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz (primary registry data on Pfizer NZ, Company No. 71350)

[4] Pfizer’s Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Principles, Pfizer.co.nz, https://www.pfizer.co.nz/sites/default/files/corporate/AntiBriberyAntiCorruption.pdf (Pfizer corporate policy on interactions with officials)

[5] Melissa McGregor was a Board member of the New Zealand industry body..., Medicines Australia (Press Release), medicinesaustralia.com.au, October 2019

[6] Pfizer Aus/NZ chief to depart for Europe role, Retail Pharmacy Magazine, 31 Jan 2020, https://retailpharmacymagazine.com.au/pfizer-aust-nz-chief-to-depart-for-europe-role/ (Pfizer ANZ Managing Director leadership change)

[7] Anne Harris appointed Managing Director Pfizer Australia and New Zealand, Medicines Australia, March 2020, https://www.medicinesaustralia.com.au/media-release/anne-harris-appointed-managing-director-pfizer-australia-and-new-zealand/

[8] American Chamber of Commerce in NZ – Member Profile: Anne Harris (Pfizer ANZ), AmCham New Zealand, https://www.amcham.co.nz/Sys/PublicProfile/7504773

[9] Medicines New Zealand Board Members, MedicinesNZ.co.nz, https://www.medicinesnz.co.nz/about-us/our-people/ (Pfizer representation in industry association)

[10] Transparency Guidelines – Joint initiative of Medicines NZ and NZ Medical Association, MedicinesNZ, 2021, https://www.medicinesnz.co.nz/assets/Transparency-Joint-Guidelines.pdf (voluntary disclosure regime details)

[11] Party donations and loans – annual returns, NZ Electoral Commission, elections.nz (2023 returns and donor disclosure rules)

[12] National tops list of donations to political parties..., Radio New Zealand News, 5 May 2025, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/559986/ (summary of recent party donations; no Pfizer mentioned)

[13] How Big Pharma operates in New Zealand, RNZ “The Detail” (podcast summary by Alex Ashton & Laura Walters), 9 Sept 2019, https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-detail/story/2018709503/ (investigation of pharmaceutical lobbying in NZ, including Pfizer’s tactics)

[14] Covid-19: How much has Jacinda Ardern lobbied Pfizer over vaccine supply?, NZ Herald, 13 Jul 2021 (Derek Cheng), (premium) – summary via archive: NZ PM spoke twice to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and once to ANZ MD Anne Harris in 2021

[15] Covid-19 Omicron outbreak: Cost of Covid vaccines revealed – report, New Zealand Herald, 1 Feb 2022, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-cost-of-covid-vaccines-revealed-report/2MN5SXWBVBFLKWNYSQ7ZAGTOSI/ (OIA-released figures on vaccine costs; Pfizer dose ~$36.50, contract secrecy)

[16] Official Information Act release: Purchasing Pfizer vaccines – indemnity requests, NZ Treasury, 8 Nov 2021 (Treasury Report T2021/2212)

[17] New Zealand Gazette Notice: Pharmacia Ltd – cessation, assets acquired by Pfizer, NZ Gazette, 2 Oct 2003, Notice 2003-cb6392 (Pfizer NZ acquired Pharmacia’s NZ business in 2003, signed by Anita Thorpe)

[18] Pfizer's “Pforeign” Intrigue: Tried to Scupper U.S.–NZ Trade Deal, CBS News, 22 Dec 2010, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pfizers-pforeign-intrigue-tried-to-scupper-us-trade-deal-in-price-control-protest/ (Report on WikiLeaks cables showing Pfizer lobbying against NZ in trade talks, and attempt to undermine Helen Clark over Pharmac)

[19] Wikileaks cables: U.S. pharmaceutical companies view NZ as hostile ground, NZ Herald, 10 Dec 2010, (referenced in CBS piece)

[20] Hansard: Medicines Amendment Bill – Second Reading, NZ Parliament Debates, 19 May 2021, Volume 753, https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20210519_20210519_40 (Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall speech)

[21] Democracy Project – Lobbying in New Zealand, Bryce Edwards (Victoria University), 2020–2023 articles, democracyproject.nz (analysis of NZ lobbying sector and calls for reform)

[22] Integrity Briefing: Launching the NZ Lobbying & Influence Register, Democracy Project Substack, 1 May 2023,

https://democracyproject.substack.com/p/integrity-briefing-launching-the-nz

(announcement of initiative to track lobbyist influence, by The Integrity Institute)

[23] Ministry of Health OIA response – lobbyists on Pfizer’s behalf, FYI.org.nz (OIA request #17021, Oct 2021) (MoH transferred request about “what lobby firms lobby for Pfizer” to MBIE; MoH held no info itself)

[24] Ombudsman Peter Boshier on withholding vaccine price info, Ombudsman decision summary, Oct 2021 (justifies nondisclosure of Pfizer vaccine price due to supply risk)

[25] Press Release: Pfizer and BioNTech to Supply New Zealand with 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 Vaccine, Pfizer.com, 10 Oct 2020 (initial deal announcement, includes quote about working with NZ Government)

[26] Oxfam NZ: Big Pharma lobbying against COVID-19 IP waiver, Oxfam Aotearoa, 11 Oct 2021, https://www.oxfam.org.nz/news-media/media-releases/big-pharma-lobbying-against-covid-19-intellectual-property-waiver/ (notes Pfizer, others lobbied in EU to block vaccine patent waiver)

[27] Elections NZ – Donations exceeding $20,000 (2020–2023), elections.nz (real-time large donation disclosures; no Pfizer listed)

[28] RNZ News: Govt vaccine rollout costing $1.4b, Radio NZ, 10 Feb 2021, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/436392/ (Hipkins quote on vaccine programme budget)

[29] Pharmac – COVID-19 vaccine spending, Pharmac.govt.nz, 31 May 2023, https://www.pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-resources/covid19-vaccine-costs/ (Pharmac reports $139m in 2021 and $383m in 2022 on COVID vaccines/treatments)

[30] NZ Parliament Hansard – Question Time (COVID-19 Response), various dates 2021 (e.g. Q5 on 12 Oct 2021, Chris Bishop asking about Pfizer booster orders)

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

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