WSP NZ

1. Business / Trading Name: WSP New Zealand Limited (trading simply as WSP). Formerly known as WSP Opus (2017–2019) and Opus International Consultants Limited (1997–2019), originating from the government’s Works Consultancy Services (1991–1997).

2. Company Number: 478807 (New Zealand Companies Office registration number).

3. NZBN (NZ Business Number): 9429039194640.

4. Entity Type: New Zealand Limited Company (Ltd) – a registered, limited liability company. (Constitution filed with Companies Office.)

5. Business Classification: ANZSIC code M692343 – Engineering consulting service (nec) (not elsewhere classified). This classification reflects WSP New Zealand’s core business in multidisciplinary engineering consultancy.

6. Industry Category: Professional Engineering and Consulting Services (Infrastructure Planning & Design). WSP New Zealand operates in the professional services sector, providing engineering, architectural, environmental and advisory services across infrastructure and construction industries.

7. Year Founded: 1991 (incorporation of Works Consultancy Services upon corporatisation of the Ministry of Works). Historical roots: Traces back to the New Zealand Public Works Department established in 1876, later the Ministry of Works and Development. (The consulting division was corporatised in 1988 as Works Consultancy, which was eventually privatised and renamed Opus in 1997.)

8. Addresses: Registered & Head Office – 9th Floor, Majestic Centre, 100 Willis Street, Wellington 6011, New Zealand. This is also the principal business and postal address. Former addresses include the same location on lower floors prior to 2019 (the company has been based in the Majestic Centre, Wellington since the 1990s). WSP NZ today maintains around 40 offices nationwide serving all regions.

9. Website URL: https://www.wsp.com/en-NZ – New Zealand section of WSP’s global site (previous legacy site was wsp-opus.co.nz during 2017–2019).

10. LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wspnz/ – “WSP in New Zealand” official LinkedIn page (Wellington-based, ~62,800 followers), where the company posts updates and thought leadership.

11. Company Hub NZ URL: https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429039194640 – CompanyHub listing for WSP New Zealand (aggregating Companies Office data). (Note: CompanyHub indicates this entity as registered in 1991 with current status.)

12. NZ Companies Office URL: https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/co/478807 – Official Companies Register entry for WSP New Zealand Ltd, showing its registration details, directors, and filings.

13. Social Media URLs: Facebook – facebook.com/WSPinNZ (WSP in New Zealand official page); Twitter (X) – twitter.com/WspNZ (WSP New Zealand’s Twitter feed); YouTube – youtube.com/c/wspinnewzealand (WSP in NZ channel for public videos). No official Instagram account; the company primarily uses LinkedIn and Facebook for outreach.

14. Ultimate Holding Company: WSP Global Inc. – a publicly listed professional services firm (TSX: WSP) headquartered in Montreal, Canada. WSP Global Inc. is the top-level owner of WSP New Zealand. (WSP NZ’s immediate 100% parent is WSP Group Consulting Inc., a Canadian holding subsidiary of WSP Global.) WSP Global Inc. is a multinational with ~73,000 employees worldwide and had a Canadian company registration no. 774838-8.

15. Key Shareholders: WSP Group Consulting Inc. (Canada) – holds 100% of the shares in WSP New Zealand Limited (200 shares). WSP Group Consulting is an intermediary subsidiary through which WSP Global owns international operations. As WSP NZ is wholly owned within the WSP Global group, its ultimate ownership is dispersed among WSP Global’s shareholders. The largest single investor in WSP Global is Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ, a Canadian pension fund), recently holding ~15%, with the remainder owned by other institutional and public shareholders. (No New Zealand individuals have direct stakes in WSP NZ due to full foreign ownership.)

16. Leadership: Ian Blair – Managing Director (NZ) since 2017. Blair was formerly a senior Westpac banking executive and brings corporate management experience. The executive leadership team includes: Kelly Wilshire – General Counsel & Executive Director (joined 2018); Bridget McFlinn – Director of Brand, Clients & Markets; Guy Spence – Director of Transport (Acting); David Fowler – Head of People (HR); Ben Holland – Head of Commercial & Major Projects Governance; and others heading major portfolios. Governance is via the company’s Board of Directors: Chris Davies - Director Regions; Carl Devereux - Director - Water, Earth and Environment; Reginald Proffit - Pou Arataki – Director Māori; Peter O'Leary - Director Property and Buildings; Grant Hodges - Director Strategic Advisory; Peter Wiles - Director Transport. The leadership combines long-time former Opus experts with new executives installed post-acquisition.

17. Staff: Approximately 2,200 employees in New Zealand as of 2023, including engineers, planners, scientists, architects and project managers. (WSP NZ’s headcount has grown from ~3,000 (including overseas units) in 2013 to about 2,000–2,200 in the mid-2020s, after global reorganisation.) Staff are spread across over 40 offices nationwide, making WSP one of NZ’s largest engineering consultancies. The workforce includes many chartered professionals and recognised industry specialists.

18. Staff that have held previous government roles: WSP New Zealand employs numerous professionals with public-sector backgrounds, reflecting a “revolving door” with government. For example, Peter Wiles – WSP’s Transport Director – is a former NZ Transport Agency official and was seconded to NZTA as acting National Manager Infrastructure Delivery in 2023. Other staff have held roles in local councils and government agencies (e.g. planners, engineers from NZTA, KiwiRail, Ministry of Transport). Dr Colin Crampton, a past senior executive, came from Wellington Water (public utility) before joining WSP. These hires give WSP insight and networks within the public sector. (NB: Many senior Opus-era staff originally started their careers in the Ministry of Works prior to corporatisation.)

19. Past Employees: Notable alumni include Dr David Prentice – CEO of Opus (2010–2017) who led the company through its NZX listing and later became CEO of Trustpower/Manawa Energy; Kevin Thompson – founding CEO of Opus (retired 2010) credited with transitioning the organisation from a SOE to a successful global consultancy; and board members like Sam Knowles (former Kiwibank CEO) and Alan Isaac (prominent business leader) who served as independent directors during Opus’s listed era. Neil Barr, former Property Director. Many former WSP Opus engineers have moved on to rival firms (e.g. Beca, Stantec, Jacobs) or into government roles, as a Reddit thread attests to an exodus of “everyone worth their salt” post-acquisition. This alumni network occupies influential positions across the infrastructure sector.

20. Clients: WSP New Zealand’s client base spans government agencies, local authorities, and private sector developers. Major public-sector clients include Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (state highways – WSP is a key consulting partner), KiwiRail (rail infrastructure), Kainga Ora (housing and urban development projects), the Ministry of Education (school buildings program), and numerous city and district councils (for roading, water and structural engineering services). WSP also serves utilities like Watercare and Transpower, and private corporations in energy, transportation and property. For example, WSP is part of the alliance delivering the NZTA Mt Messenger Bypass in Taranaki and has worked on Auckland’s City Rail Link and Wellington’s Let’s Get Wellington Moving programme. As of 2024, WSP boasts it is “the largest provider of planning and environmental services to the private and public sectors in Aotearoa”. (Given the heavy infrastructure focus in NZ, a significant portion of WSP’s revenue comes from taxpayer-funded projects and government contracts.)

21. Industries/Sectors Represented: WSP operates and advocates in all major infrastructure sectors: Transport (Road & Rail) – planning, designing highways, public transport and aviation projects; Buildings & Property – structural and building services engineering; Water & Environment – water supply, wastewater, environmental management; Energy & Power – electricity generation and distribution, renewable energy; Urban Planning & Development – urban design, landscape architecture, city planning; as well as Public sector advisory, Research & Innovation. Internally, WSP NZ is structured into five key business lines: Transport & Infrastructure; Property & Buildings; Water (Earth & Environment); Power & Energy; and Advisory Services. The company thus represents interests across the engineering spectrum, often speaking for the infrastructure and construction industry in policy discussions.

22. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: WSP NZ does not appear on a lobbyist register (NZ has none), but it engages openly via submissions, research partnerships and appearances. The firm’s experts frequently submit to Parliamentary select committees reviewing infrastructure, transport and urban planning policies (e.g. WSP Opus was noted in a parliamentary review of the City Rail Link project). WSP has a formal partnership with The Helen Clark Foundation since 2019 to produce public policy research reports on infrastructure, climate and social issues. Through this, WSP has co-published reports launched at public events and webinars (e.g. on urban mobility, climate adaptation, infrastructure funding). WSP staff also appear in person at government forums – for instance, WSP’s NZ Managing Director Ian Blair spoke at the 2023 Infrastructure Commission symposium. The company is an “Approved Advisor” on Government panels (e.g. All-of-Government consultancy panels), which is disclosed on MBIE procurement websites. It also actively responds to government consultations (often via industry bodies). However, there is no comprehensive public register of WSP’s one-on-one lobbying or meetings with ministers, which typically occur behind closed doors.

23. Affiliations: WSP New Zealand is deeply embedded in industry and professional networks. It is a corporate member of Infrastructure New Zealand (INZ) – the infrastructure industry’s lobby group – and in fact one of WSP’s executives, Dr Alayna Rā, sits on INZ’s Board (appointed 2022). WSP is also a leading member of ACE New Zealand (Association of Consulting & Engineering NZ), which represents consulting firms’ interests in policy and contracts. Many WSP engineers are individual members of Engineering New Zealand (the professional body), and WSP actively supports Engineering NZ’s initiatives (WSP’s Ben Holland served as Engineering NZ President in 2019). The firm is involved with the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) and local government engineering forums, given its council clients. It partners with think tanks (Helen Clark Foundation) and universities on research. WSP also affiliates with business groups like local Chambers of Commerce and is listed in the Auckland CBD Business Association. These affiliations amplify WSP’s voice in policy debates through collective advocacy.

24. Sponsorships / Collaborations: WSP NZ leverages sponsorships to shape public discourse. Most notably, it sponsors a full-time research fellow at the Helen Clark Foundation (HCF), funding detailed policy research reports since 2019. These reports – on topics like infrastructure funding, transport pricing, and climate adaptation – carry both HCF and WSP branding and are promoted to policymakers. WSP also sponsors industry events and awards: it has been a headline sponsor of the ACE New Zealand Engineering Awards and supports Engineering NZ’s Diversity Agenda programme (promoting diversity in engineering). The company frequently hosts or co-hosts seminars, webinars and roundtables on future infrastructure (“Future Ready” series) – e.g. panels on decarbonising transport, often featuring politicians or officials as guests. In the community, WSP collaborates with iwi on projects and has sponsored local STEM education initiatives. Such sponsorships and partnerships raise WSP’s profile as a thought leader while providing channels to advocate its preferred solutions.

25. Events (Organised by WSP): WSP New Zealand holds and participates in numerous public events to advance its agenda. It has co-organised policy launch events with the Helen Clark Foundation to release joint reports (e.g. panel discussions for the “Bridging the Infrastructure Gap” report in June 2024). WSP regularly hosts client workshops and conferences – for example, an annual Future of Infrastructure summit (bringing together government and industry stakeholders) and technical symposiums via its Central Labs. The firm’s experts are highly visible at external conferences: WSP NZ was a key participant in the 2023 Infrastructure NZ annual conference and the Transport Knowledge Conference. In-house, WSP runs events like the “Urban Roundtable” series (invite-only forums with local government planners). It also facilitates local community meetings on projects it’s involved in (fulfilling consultation obligations). While not all these events are publicized, those that are (often via LinkedIn or media) position WSP as a convener in the infrastructure space, indirectly bolstering its influence.

26. Political Donations: No direct political donations disclosed. There is no record of WSP New Zealand or its predecessor Opus making any donation to NZ political parties in Electoral Commission filings. WSP NZ’s parent company is foreign-owned and generally corporations in the consulting sector do not donate openly to campaigns. (Opus International Consultants, while NZX-listed, also did not appear in published political donation lists.) Instead of cash donations, WSP’s political influence is exercised via lobbying, advisory roles and non-cash contributions (e.g. sponsoring research used by political figures). Any minor contributions (tickets to fundraisers, etc.) are not publicly reported. The absence of donations is notable given WSP’s reliance on government business – the company likely steers clear of partisan donations to maintain an image of neutrality and avoid conflicts with public-sector clients.

27. Controversies: WSP New Zealand has faced criticism and legal disputes related to its work. In 2024 it was found liable in a High Court case for a flawed highway design: CPB Contractors v WSP NZ saw the court rule WSP breached its contract by providing a defective pavement design for an NZTA motorway project, causing ~$5 million in losses. WSP was ordered to compensate the contractor – a rare public rebuke of a consultant’s work quality. Earlier, under Opus, the firm drew ire for cost overruns on projects; e.g. Opus’s role in Christchurch rebuild consulting was scrutinised for high fees. Cultural backlash: After WSP’s takeover, some longtime staff complained that “WSP stripped the soul out of Opus” and that a profit-driven, spreadsheet culture took hold. This sentiment, shared in industry circles, tarnished WSP’s reputation as successor to a once-public service-oriented entity. Conflict of interest concerns: WSP’s dual role in the Mt Messenger Bypass – on the private alliance and simultaneously seconding staff into NZTA – was highlighted in court by landowners as a procedural concern. Additionally, WSP has occasionally been accused of “marking its own homework” by advising on policy that leads to contracts it can bid on (a form of consultancy self-interest). While not scandalous in a traditional sense, these issues underscore the ethical tightrope WSP walks as a powerful insider. To date, no corruption or misconduct findings have been made against WSP NZ, but the above controversies have attracted media and stakeholder criticism.

28. Other Information of Note: WSP New Zealand inherited the famed Central Laboratories (now WSP Research & Innovation) in Petone, Wellington – originally the government’s engineering research labs since the 1930s. This unit gives WSP unique in-house testing capabilities for materials, geology and structural research, which it leverages in projects nationwide. Also notable: WSP NZ has undergone significant acquisitions – it absorbed Calibre Consulting’s NZ operations in the late 2010s and integrated Golder Associates NZ (environmental consultants) in 2021 as part of a global buyout, boosting its environmental expertise. WSP New Zealand is part of the ANZ (Australia-New Zealand) regional cluster of WSP, and its NZ Managing Director reports to WSP’s Australia-New Zealand CEO (formerly Guy Templeton). The company was formerly listed on the NZX (as Opus International Consultants) from 2007 until its December 2017 delisting – during that time it published detailed annual reports (useful for historical financial data). Finally, WSP NZ has publicly committed to climate change and sustainability goals, aligning with WSP Global’s pledges. It claims to be carbon neutral in operations and often advises government on sustainability – an alignment of business interest with public good that is worth noting in context of its influence.

29. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: No. WSP New Zealand did not receive COVID-19 wage subsidies in 2020–21 under the government’s Wage Subsidy Scheme. There is no record in official MSD employer subsidy lists of WSP NZ or Opus claiming the subsidy, indicating the firm did not meet the revenue-drop criteria or chose not to apply. (This contrasts with many engineering/construction firms that did.) WSP continued to operate through the pandemic, supported by long-term government contracts, and even implemented its own internal “transport subsidy” for staff. The decision to forego the wage subsidy may have been to avoid scrutiny, given the parent company’s global strength. It means WSP NZ did not rely on direct government financial aid during COVID-19, even as it benefited from ongoing project funding.

Sources:

1. BizDb Company Profile – WSP New Zealand Limited (company number, NZBN, address, and name history)

2. Wikipedia – WSP New Zealand (company origins from Ministry of Works 1876, corporatisation 1988, rebranding to Opus in 1997)

3. WSP Global Press Release – WSP to Acquire Opus International (2017 takeover details: 61.2% from UEM Edgenta, NZ$283.9m purchase price)

4. Companies Office Registry – WSP New Zealand Ltd (ultimate holding company WSP Global Inc., Canadian registration, directors list, website)

5. WSP New Zealand LinkedIn Page – About Us (founded 1870 (sic), ~2000+ professionals, sectors served, headquarters Wellington)

6. National Business Review – New Chair for Opus International (Opus Board 2017: Keith Watson, Alan Isaac, Sam Knowles, David Prentice, Azmir Merican, Low Chee Yen)

7. MinterEllison Legal Update – CPB Contractors Pty Ltd v WSP New Zealand Ltd [2024] NZHC 640 (High Court found WSP liable for defective tender design, breach of contract)

8. Infrastructure News – Time to think about user charging (Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett praising HCF/WSP contributions to road user charges debate, calling for National Infrastructure Agency)

9. Helen Clark Foundation – Bridging the Infrastructure Gap (2024 report in partnership with WSP, advocating long-term debt financing, evaluating PPPs, highlighting infrastructure deficit)

10. Company Check (NZX Announcement) – Opus International Consultants – Delisting Notice (WSP became dominant owner >90% on 4 Dec 2017, Opus delisted)

11. Engineering NZ Magazine (NZ Manufacturer) – New Engineering NZ President to focus on diversity (Ben Holland of WSP Opus elected ENZ President 2019, his WSP role and agenda)

12. LinkedIn Post – Dr Alayna Rā’s Board roles (WSP Indigenous Design Director noting her board roles with Infrastructure NZ and NZ Institute of Landscape Architects)

13. FYI.org OIA (Democracy Project) – Integrity Institute draft entry on HCF (notes “Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: No. … WSP New Zealand – Insight: Bridging the Infrastructure Gap” implying WSP NZ took no wage subsidy)

14. Infrastructure Commission – National Infrastructure Pipeline (Treasury briefing excerpt noting contracting out to firms like WSP rather than internal delivery)

15. Chapman Tripp Commentary – CPB v WSP outcome (High Court ordered WSP to pay ~$5 million in damages for pavement design errors on Southern Corridor project)

16. Parliament.nz Select Committee Report – 2018/19 Annual Review of CRL (mentions WSP Opus (NZ) Ltd among those consulted for City Rail Link evaluation)

17. WSP Press Release – WSP’s Ben Holland new President of ENZ (WSP announcement of Ben Holland’s election as ENZ President, highlighting his role as Head of Commercial at WSP)

18. Scoop News – Mt Messenger Alliance and NZTA (Pascoe Whānau statement noting WSP’s alliance role and secondment of Mr Wiles to NZTA, raising conflict concerns)

19. LinkedIn – Ian Blair Profile (The Org) (Ian Blair joined WSP in 2017 as MD, career in banking at Westpac)

20. BizDb – Shareholding of WSP NZ (WSP Group Consulting Inc. 100% owner of 200 shares of WSP NZ Ltd, Montreal address)

21. LinkedIn – WSP NZ Leadership Team (names of leadership including Ian Blair, Kelly Wilshire, Guy Spence, David Fowler, Ben Holland, Chris Davies, Carl Devereux)

22. NZ Manufacturer – ENZ President Ben Holland (Ben’s perspective as ENZ President, notes his WSP Opus position and vision)

23. Government Procurement Notice – AoG Consultancy Panel (WSP New Zealand listed as an approved supplier on All-of-Government panel)

24. McGuinness Institute Working Paper 2021/11 – Donations and PFI (listing Opus International Consultants [OIC] with donation info, indicating OIC did not make political donations in reviewed period).

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