What Bastion Shine does

Bastion Shine is the New Zealand operating entity of the global Bastion creative consultancy network, operating in market under the brand 'Bastion Aotearoa.' Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Auckland with an expanding Wellington presence, the firm is a full-service strategic and creative consultancy offering integrated capabilities across advertising, communications, digital, media, design, experience, cultural advisory, and insights. It serves an exclusively enterprise client base, with a documented portfolio spanning telecommunications (Spark), banking (ASB), insurance (Tower), aviation (Air New Zealand), automotive (Volvo), QSR (KFC NZ), retail (Bunnings, Whittaker's), energy (Genesis), and travel technology (Serko). The core offering is project-based professional services delivered through dedicated account teams, won through competitive pitches, referrals, and industry reputation. A distinguishing feature is its cultural advisory specialization tailored to the New Zealand market, intended to give brands authentic local engagement.

The firm's revenue model is professional services income generated through project engagements and ongoing client relationships; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed and is assumed to be quote-based by engagement. Headcount sits in the 51-100 range, with a notable October 2025 expansion in which six senior staff were hired from competitor VML Wellington, including managing director Fleur Head, to bolster government and strategic client work by early 2026. Distribution is direct-to-client through field sales and competitive pitches, supported by a case-study-led content marketing approach across LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and an email newsletter. The company holds no patents, AI capabilities, or proprietary technology products; its competitive position rests on talent, brand reputation, and a cross-sector case study library.

The underlying 'technology' of the firm is its integrated multi-disciplinary service model rather than a software platform, and recent strategic emphasis has been on geographic expansion within New Zealand (Wellington), new enterprise wins (KFC NZ), and creative industry recognition (2026 AXIS Awards). As part of the broader Bastion network spanning Australia, the United States, and New Zealand, Bastion Shine has cross-border account leverage but no disclosed parent company structure, funding, or revenue figures.

Name

Bastion Shine

Legal name

Bastion Shine

Website

https://bastionshine.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bastion Shine is a New Zealand-based, full-service strategic and creative consultancy operating as 'Bastion Aotearoa' under the global Bastion network. It delivers integrated advertising, communications, digital, media, design, experience, cultural advisory, and insights services to enterprise clients across multiple sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Creative and Strategic Consultancy Services: Professional services revenue generated through providing advertising, communications, digital, media, design, experience, and insights services to enterprise and mid-market clients. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements and ongoing client relationships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bastion Shine operates as Bastion Aotearoa, a full-service strategic and creative consultancy providing Advertising, Communications, Digital, Media, Design, Experience, Cultural Advisory, and Insights services to enterprise and mid-market clients in New Zealand. The firm delivers brand campaigns, multi-channel creative work, digital activations, media planning, and cultural advisory support through dedicated account teams on a project-based engagement model.

Product overview

Bastion Aotearoa is a full-service strategic and creative consultancy providing a comprehensive range of services including Advertising, Communications, Digital, Media, Design, Experience, Cultural Advisory, and Insights. The company operates as a unified consultancy rather than a platform with discrete product modules, delivering creative and strategic services to government and commercial clients across New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advertising Creative advertising services including brand campaigns, multi-channel campaign execution, and creative concept development for enterprise clients in New Zealand.
• Communications Strategic communications services including amplification of brand messaging, public sector and government communications, and integrated communications planning for enterprise clients.
• Digital Digital marketing services including digital campaign development, digital activations, and online brand experience design for enterprise and mid-market clients.
• Media Media planning and buying services supporting multi-channel campaign execution across paid, owned, and earned media channels for enterprise clients.
• Design Design services including brand identity, visual identity systems, and creative design work supporting brand campaigns and corporate identity for enterprise clients.
• Experience Brand experience services including event activations, experiential marketing, and live brand experiences such as the ASB Classic tennis activation and Fieldays energy savings activation.
• Cultural Advisory Specialized cultural advisory services helping brands engage authentically with the New Zealand market, including cultural positioning and culturally informed campaign guidance.
• Insights Market and consumer insights services providing research, audience understanding, and strategic insights to inform brand strategy and campaign development.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Colenso BBDO: Long-established New Zealand full-service creative agency and multiple award winner (part of the BBDO/Omnicom network). Directly comparable in business model and enterprise client base in NZ.
• DDB New Zealand: Full-service creative agency operating in New Zealand as part of the DDB Worldwide network. Competes for similar enterprise briefs and offers integrated advertising, digital, and design services.
• Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand: New Zealand arm of the Saatchi & Saatchi global creative network. Directly competes for the same enterprise creative mandates across retail, FMCG, and financial services in NZ.
• FCB New Zealand: FCB's New Zealand operations deliver full-service advertising and integrated marketing to enterprise clients, directly overlapping Bastion Shine's service model and target market.
• Special Group: Award-winning independent creative agency with operations in New Zealand and Australia. Competes directly for the same kind of integrated creative briefs and uses a similar multi-disciplinary model.
• VML New Zealand: New Zealand operations of global VML (WPP/Y&R) — the agency from which Bastion Shine recently poached six senior staff. Directly competes in NZ creative and digital services.

Broad incumbents

• Ogilvy New Zealand: New Zealand operations of Ogilvy (WPP network) offering advertising, PR, consulting, and experience services. A larger incumbent with broader portfolio competing for enterprise accounts.
• TBWA New Zealand: New Zealand operations of TBWA Worldwide (Omnicom network) offering full-service creative, media, and brand strategy. Larger incumbent competing across many of the same verticals.
• Dentsu New Zealand: NZ arm of Dentsu International offering integrated creative, media, and CX services. A larger global-network incumbent competing for enterprise integrated-marketing mandates.

Regional players

• Mango Communications: Australian-based PR, communications, and creative consultancy. Comparable in mid-market creative and communications services across Australia/NZ with adjacent service mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BastionShine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bastion-shine
• Instagraminstagram.com/bastionshine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bastion Shine