GRC Partners + Porter Novelli

On behalf of the team at GRC Partners + Porter Novelli, we want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.   It’s been an incredible year, and we want to thank all our clients for letting us do such fulfilling work. We will be popping back up from the 8th of January, so stay tuned for more updates then 😊. Take a look below to see some of what we have been able to achieve throughout 2024. We are so excited to see what 2025 has in store for us!

It was great to work with Perceptive on their Mind & Matters report and learn a bit more about how Kiwis plan to spend their summer!   Have a listen below on RNZ to hear Perceptive Managing Director, Daniel Shaw give his take on summer-time trends. 

It was great to see special guest Kevin Obern, on the latest episode of NZBusiness podcast Sustainably Ever After! Kevin spoke to Lilah McDonald about some of the fantastic initiatives going on at OfficeMax New Zealand on the sustainability front, including its recyclable paper wrappers and Responsible Supplier Code. OfficeMax continuously strive to improve environmental outcomes, in line with its goal to promote sustainable and successful workplaces. Have a listen to Episode 6 of Sustainably Ever After below:

This week, some of our Auckland team members had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at New Zealand Media & Entertainment (NZME) and see how some of New Zealand’s most iconic newsrooms and radio stations bring news and entertainment to life! We were even lucky enough to visit The Coast recording studio, where we had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with their Host, Lorna Riley. Huge thanks to the NZME team for the warm welcome, and for giving us such a great tour. 

Former prime minister Rt Hon. Helen Clark was in Wellington last week, along with former Parliamentary colleagues and staffers, to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the election of the Fifth Labour Government in 1999.   Among the guests gathered for dinner in Parliament’s Grand Hall was GRCPN Managing Partner Mark Watts, who served as one of Helen Clark’s press secretaries from 1996 – 2002.   In this article published in The Post, Mark shares his memories from his time working alongside New Zealand’s thirty-seventh prime minister.  

Here's a sneak peek at something brewing with NZBusiness . Keep an eye out (or an ear out) for something landing next week!

It’s one year since the current Government was formed. From major policy changes, to an early Cabinet reshuffle, to the controversy and protest associated with the Treaty Principles Bill in recent weeks, it’s been a momentous period. What’s next? Here’s GRC+ PN’s take on the Coalition’s first year:

This week we welcomed the fantastic Laurna White to the GRC + PN team, coming on board as a Director in the Auckland office. Laurna comes to us with wide ranging experience in crisis management, media, and public relations. She has a strong political backing, having advised three Mayors over four election terms! Welcome Laurna! We can’t wait to see all the great work you will do.

Last week, our Wellington-based Director, Talani Meikle, celebrated three years with GRCPN. As our government affairs practice lead, Talani has been at the forefront of some amazing projects over the last three years, building trusted relationships with clients across a number of key sectors. Talani always goes above and beyond for our clients and the GRCPN team, and we are incredibly grateful for all her hard work. Congratulations Talani, we look forward to seeing the many more amazing things you will achieve!

In light of Global Handwashing Day yesterday, our client OfficeMax New Zealand decided to delve deeper into workplace handwashing habits. With the help of our fantastic friends at Perceptive, a marketing research agency, OfficeMax surveyed 500 office workers and made some icky discoveries, including that 42% of office workers have witnessed someone in the workplace leave the bathroom without washing their hands! The research impacted New Zealand news far and wide, with the survey results appearing on RNZ First Up, Breakfast, 1News at 6pm and others, reaching an audience of over 1 million. You can check out some of the coverage here at RNZ: https://lnkd.in/gpNvhryu