Our Services
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We solve complex communications problems with strategic thinking and practical delivery.
What This Means
Strat comms isn’t about writing a press release or managing social media. It’s about solving business and sector challenges through our expertise. We start with strategy, not tactics, to ensure we add long-lasting value before moving into execution.
With Heft we:
Drive impact through designing internal and external comms plans
Solve complex stakeholder issues
Navigate organisational change and crisis situations
Transform the capability of your team
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Effective government relations relies upon strategic, carefully constructed policy positions to pitch to decisionmakers, and lasting relationships. At Heft we don’t just arrange meetings, we ensure those meetings count.
Working with Heft means:
Strategic stakeholder mapping
Clear policy understanding and bringing solutions to decisionmakers
Evidence based positioning
Long term relationship building, across multiple levels of decision making
This isn’t about quick wins or magic connections - it is about bringing solutions to the table and building sustainable influence through strategic engagement.
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Effective PR in today’s media environment isn’t about writing press releases - it’s about understanding what makes a genuine story and knowing how to tell it. In fact, we rarely write press releases. Instead, we write pitches strategically. Because we:
Find the real story worth telling
Position it for maximum impact
Target the right audiences
Support you in building meaningful media relationships
Deliver measurable results
Our Sweet Spot
We focus on coverage that matters, adding value for:
Complex announcements
Sensitive and crisis issues
Market positioning
Profile development and sector leadership
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We're writers who know the difference between good and great branding.
We craft:
Strategic annual reports that tell your story with impact
Engaging social content that cuts through the noise
Thought leadership that positions you as an expert
Grant reports that demonstrate your value
Public facing comms that builds your brand
Reports that make complex data clear and compelling
But here's where we're different: we combine deep strategic thinking with smart execution.
We harness AI tools strategically - not to replace human creativity, but to speed up the grunt work once we know how we want to approach your project. With your permission we can use our professional platforms to support execution of initial drafts, editing and proofing.
This means more of your budget goes toward what really matters: developing the strategic approach that makes your content work harder.
Because anyone can write words. We write words that work. And we love to do the strategy that lies behind the words.
Need content that delivers? Let's talk.
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Our hand-selected media consultants around New Zealand have a background in journalism and broadcasting to prepare you for media interviews. We take a personalised approach to our training, find the right trainer for in-person private mentoring to suit your needs and schedule.
This may involve:
1:1 mentoring ahead of a media interview, with Q&A prep
A half-day workshop, moving from theory to practical interview preparation.
A full-day workshop including simulated TV or video recording.
On call soundboarding, to have a trusted advisor for support ahead of each media opportunity.
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We run three popular workshops for groups of up to 30 people:
AI Readiness (for teams of AI hesitant or beginners, supporting mindset change)
Who’s the Author: For teams navigating the ethical and philosophical implications of AI use in white collar work
AI and Leadership: For leaders and managers integrating AI into their teams.
At Heft, we believe AI is a tool to enhance human creativity and accelerate implementation, not replace human thinking. Our approach prioritises client privacy while maximising the efficiency AI can bring to communications delivery.
Get your whole team working smarter with AI, with Heft’s insights and practical workshop options.
“The team at Heft were a vital part of our team from day one right through to export. Their skills in government relations and media management ensured we spoke to the right people and told the right story as we introduced a new business to Aotearoa.”
Ray Mudgway, Managing Director of WMS Group Ltd.
Where we’ve had impact
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Fintech Market Entry
The Challenge: Financial technology company needed communications strategy that understood complex regulatory environment while building public trust and government relationships.
The Heft Solution: Embedded daily communications support working directly within client systems to monitor media requests, risk manage opportunities, and provide strategic government relations advice for ministerial meetings.
The Result: Strong ongoing partnership providing strategic communications that balances innovation narrative with regulatory compliance needs.
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The Challenge: Privately funded startup in resources and logistics required evolving communications and advocacy strategy - initially preventing media coverage, then pivoting to tell the sustainability story of critical minerals in New Zealand.
The Heft Solution: Three-year partnership that evolved from initial public engagement and government relations (lobbying) through permit processes, to media expertise and transparency approach supporting production launch.
The Result: Successfully positioned critical minerals as part of New Zealand's sustainable future while building strong government relationships and moving through complex regulatory processes.
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The Challenge: Public petition needed to exceed targets within one month before Council's Long Term Plan meeting, with a tight budget under $500 for advertising.
The Heft Solution: Focused solely on digital marketing and public relations, creating simple digital assets and strategic META platform advertising with clear campaign workstreams.
The Result:
Exceeded petition target by 200%
Reached 110,000 Wellingtonians
Grew Instagram following by 2,477% in two weeks
Kept total advertising spend under $500
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Keep the Lights On Campaign
The Challenge: Museums faced uncertain funding with potential cuts at short notice. Members needed to be front-of-mind for decision makers while mobilising public support.
The Heft Solution: We developed a multifaceted campaign featuring celebrity spokespeople sharing personal stories about the role museums played in their lives, combined with digital content, outdoor advertising, and strategic media placement.
The Result:
124,000% increase in Facebook reach
1,900,000% increase in Instagram reach
2,500% increase in Facebook followers
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Resale Royalty Scheme Launch
The Challenge: Launch a new royalty scheme with complex stakeholder dynamics - younger artists welcomed the scheme, while older artists (who would benefit most financially) were resistant. Each audience needed completely different messaging.
The Heft Solution: We developed nuanced communications strategies for each stakeholder group. For buyers, we positioned the royalty as supporting them to feel like 'patrons' rather than viewing it as a tax. We created tailored guides and collateral ensuring gallerists, artists, and buyers each understood their specific impacts.
The Result: Successful launch with strong stakeholder buy-in across diverse audiences through creative use of membership organisations and existing networks, media relations and stakeholder communications.
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The Challenge: International energy company launching in New Zealand needed strategic positioning and media strategy to build customer base quickly.
The Heft Solution: Communications and media strategy, and execution of media pitching, thought leadership, and website content leveraging strong media relationships and strategic positioning.
The Result: Customer acquisition targets met within months - so successful that client asked to 'down tools' to prevent system overload.
Why Forward Thinking Organisations Choose Heft.
When anyone can create content instantly, the real value lies in knowing what to create and asking the right questions.
At Heft, we help organisations with human driven strategic thinking that can't be automated: understanding your unique context, identifying the conversations that matter, and finding the unexpected angles that make people stop and listen.
Because in a world of endless content, what you choose to say - and why - is everything.
