In a fast-paced industry, storytelling is essential. Whether you’re launching a new project or building a brand story that sticks, you need to think beyond online growth and use traditional strategies that a typical digital marketing agency can’t provide.

We rounded up the best PR agencies in Auckland that deliver on their promises, rather than just throwing press releases into the void. These teams can handle quick local campaigns and massive corporate reputation strategies.

Let’s dive in and see which firm might be the perfect match for your next big announcement.

Engagement Type	Estimated Cost
Hourly Rate	NZ$150 – NZ$250+ per hour
Boutique / Pay-on-Success	NZ$1,000 – NZ$3,000 per month
Standard Monthly Retainer	NZ$5,000 – NZ$8,000+ per month
Enterprise Campaign	NZ$20,000 – NZ$50,000+ per project

1. Ground Control PR

Website: https://www.groundcontrolpr.co/ 

Address: Grey Lynn, Auckland

Contact: +64 9 558 4680 | [email protected] 

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM

Ground Control PR immediately stands out for their gold wins at the 2023 Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) Awards and the 2025 AXIS Awards. These recognitions highlight their exceptional creative work.

They have deep connections across mainstream, tech, and lifestyle media. Plus, they handle everything from fast-moving consumer goods to business-to-business (B2B) audiences.

We like that they manage entire influencer campaigns from start to finish. They also offer crucial reputation management for those scary moments when you need quick crisis guidance.

On top of that, their team tracks every result carefully to ensure your brand gets the right visibility.

However, you might need to hire separate creative agencies if you want general marketing. They’re more focused on communications rather than full-service advertising.

Strong media connections and ROI

Olivia, Rosie and the team at Common Ground are legends. Extremely well connected and able to generate a significant ROI. Highly recommend getting in touch if you’re looking for a PR partner – you won’t be disappointed.

• Scott Kennedy | Google Review

End-to-end campaign ownership

It’s crucial for my brand to gain global trust and exposure; Olivia, Rosie and the team at Common Ground helped with my business objectives and owned the campaign from start to finish. They are our first stop.

• Jono Mabey | Google Review

2. Undertow Media NZ

Website: https://www.undertowmedia.co.nz/ 

Address: 7 Millais Street, Grey Lynn

Contact: +64 9 303 0233 | [email protected] | [email protected] 

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM

Undertow Media NZ has a hands-on approach, as managing director Greer Bland keeps a close eye on every account. Here, you always get senior-level attention and guidance.

The team blends traditional media outreach with hands-on social platform and experiential events. Plus, they handle heavy corporate communications and training for executives. 

They have precise KPI tracking for message cut-through and audience sentiment, giving their team the versatility to handle fast-paced product launches or ongoing retainer management.

Just keep in mind that their media training focuses strictly on small management groups. You’ll need to find another training solution if you want broad, company-wide staff preparation.

Integrated PR, social and activations

Undertow Media is an outstanding public relations agency in New Zealand. They really are top-tier – bringing together smart public relations, strong social media strategy, and creative activations that actually stand out. Professional, creative, and super easy to work with!

• Olivia Cowie | Google Review

Influencer-led PR with Grey Lynn base

Undertow Media is the PR agency that delivers above and beyond every time and the partner you need on your team! The team’s expertise in the realms of influencers, activations, social media and public relations is second to none – and the beautiful office and showroom in Grey Lynn, Auckland is the cherry on top!

• Victoria Cooper-Smith | Google Review

3. Payper

Website: https://www.payper.co/ 

Address: 208 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby

Contact: +64 27 451 8090 | [email protected] | [email protected] 

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Payper was co-founded by Lewis Hampton and Adrien Taylor, who have serious newsroom experience. They both worked as broadcast journalists for years before starting the agency.

You can draw on their expertise to consistently hit major national platforms, like 1News and the New Zealand Herald.

Their on-demand service is perfect for one-off funding rounds or major company milestones, giving businesses access to PR without locking them into a full-time retainer.

If you’re looking for monthly plans, their entry-level tier starts well below the typical Auckland price, helping keep your initial budget intact. They also use a unique pricing model where you pay a lower base fee plus a success fee.

The main catch is that their cheaper plans only include five to eight pitched press releases a year. Hence, businesses needing constant, aggressive media outreach may have to upgrade.

Fast turnarounds and extra media angles

Payper is a fantastic PR partner for Orbit. We’ve engaged them across several different campaigns and each time they impress us with how quickly they turn things around without any drop in quality. Their attention to detail in the writing and pitching is genuinely best in class, and they always seem to find an extra angle or media opportunity we hadn’t considered. If you want a PR agency that treats your business like their own, talk to Payper.

• Michael Welten | Google Review

Startup PR for funding announcements

I love that Payper brings clear thinking, honest feedback, and no fluff. They ran a strategy workshop with us, wrote a press release we were actually proud of, produced a shoot brief for our own photographer, and then landed our funding announcement across New Zealand’s main business and tech media. Everything is easy to understand, from the coverage tracker to how they measure earned media against what you’d pay for ads. For a startup looking for a PR agency in New Zealand that gets tech, finance and AI, I’d recommend them without a second thought.

• Ludwig Wendzich | Google Review

4. Impact PR

Website: https://impactpr.co.nz/ 

Address: 322 Riddell Road, Glendowie

Contact: +64 9 575 2722

Hours: Monday-Sunday, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM

Impact PR brings decades of high-level consulting experience to daily campaigns. Their senior directors implement the strategies they design, ensuring you’re never handed off to a junior team for execution.

Their award-winning consumer work, including Cannes Lions and Effie Awards, proves they know how to capture public attention. They’ve even worked alongside massive companies like Hilton Hotels and Land Rover.

We appreciate that they track success far beyond basic press mentions, giving you hard data on website traffic and clicks. They also offer crisis management and media training support to safeguard your brand’s reputation during crucial moments.

But we did notice that they’re highly selective with influencer partnerships, which is a bummer if you want your brand to reach a massive audience.

Newsworthy pitches built for editors

We value PR partners who understand what makes a story newsworthy — and Impact PR consistently delivers. Mark and the team provide well-crafted, relevant pitches that respect editorial needs and timelines. Their content is clean, timely, and tailored, making it easy for us to turn around quality stories for our audience. Their professionalism and speed make them a standout PR agency to work with. Highly recommend engaging with Impact PR.

• Shadda Lie Catugal | Google Review

Flexible, strategic collaboration

This PR agency continues to impress! They are incredibly easy to work with—always listening carefully and understanding exactly what we need. Whether we’re brainstorming together or refining a direction, they instinctively know how to fill in the blanks and bring everything together seamlessly. They’re honest and strategic, knowing when to say, “Yes, we’re doing that,” and when to guide us toward a better approach. What really sets them apart is their flexibility and the personal touch they bring to every project. They ask the right questions, adapt effortlessly, and make collaboration feel both effortless and effective. Highly recommend!

• shiela mae Junsay | Google Review

5. One Plus One Communications

Website: https://www.oneplusone.co.nz/ 

Address: First Floor, 130 St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell

Contact: [email protected] 

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM

One Plus One Communications stands out for having won the NZ Large PR Agency of the Year award for three consecutive years, from 2024 to 2026.

Their team has a fantastic track record of generating real growth. For example, they boosted sign-ups for a software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup by 30%.

They bring serious, senior-level strategic counsel, navigating complex corporate reputation issues and thought leadership campaigns. They assign teams based on their proven familiarity with your brand’s industry, ensuring your messaging hits the mark.

Additionally, they feature a dedicated government relations director to help your business navigate tricky local policies and regulations.

But their public affairs network focuses almost exclusively on New Zealand government contacts. You’ll definitely need to find a different international partner for overseas campaigns.

Fast-Grasp strategic PR for complex brands

If you need intelligent, strategic, timely PR support, One Plus One are the best in the business. They excel with both consumer and industry PR and can wrap their heads around complex businesses with speed. They have genuine, solid connections with NZ media across the board.

• Jemma Whiten | Google Review

Brand awareness in competitive markets

OPO is my PR and Comms agency of choice. OPO has helped me successfully build brand awareness, consideration and compelling messaging in very competitive markets that have engaged different audiences. Their PR expertise, connections, creativity, and energy to always do the best naturally make them an extension of my Marketing team. Most of all they are a neat team to work with.

• Nicola Lynch | Google Review