Investing in stronger communities

Charities and community organisations make a huge contribution to New Zealand. But they face many challenges – and COVID-19 has brought even more. At ANZ, we’re committed to supporting and partnering with organisations that are doing great things for society and our planet. 

Our purpose is to help shape a world where people and communities thrive, and our payroll giving scheme, the ANZ New Zealand Staff Foundation (Staff Foundation) is one of the ways that we give back.

The Staff Foundation is a charitable trust that provides grants to community organisations throughout New Zealand to help them achieve their goals. Staff can elect to join the Staff Foundation by making regular donations from their after-tax salary and wages. For every dollar our people contribute, ANZ contributes two dollars (double matching). In our last financial year alone, the Staff Foundation distributed over $1.2 million to over 100 charities across Aotearoa.

The Staff Foundation supports a wide range of initiatives across Aotearoa, with one overriding objective – to help local communities thrive. Some of the initiatives that received support in the latest funding include:

• Parenting programmes for teenagers who are expecting or have recently given birth
• Mental health and counselling services for young people or those in rural areas
• Support for community palliative care
• Mentoring programmes for at risk, disadvantaged and traumatised youth
• Support for patients and their families to help cope with the impact of major diseases such as leukaemia and breast cancer
• Programmes to help homeless people suffering from the impact of COVID-19
• Community lifeguard and rescue organisations
• Environmental trusts and organisations to assist with their work
• Programmes to help perpetrators of violence end the cycle
• Road safety programmes for children, and more.

If you’re involved in a charity or community organisation, let them know that they may be eligible to apply for an ANZ Staff Foundation grant. To find out more, see ANZ New Zealand Staff Foundation.

We’re also committed to supporting other opportunities to strengthen our communities.  

For example, we want to help New Zealanders improve their financial skills, knowledge and capability. That’s why we partner with community organisations and private training establishments to deliver MoneyMinded, ANZ’s financial education programme to help adults and young people make informed decisions about how to manage their money.

In April 2020 ANZ donated a total of $2 million to Women’s Refuge, Age Concern New Zealand and the Salvation Army, as well as the Red Cross and a series of local charities in the Pacific. This support was targeted at supporting communities through the COVID-19 crisis. 

We also support things that New Zealanders are passionate about through our sponsorship programme. We have been a major sponsor of the Cancer Society of New Zealand for more than thirty years, and each year our staff get involved in fundraising activities that have seen over $20 million donated to the Cancer Society to date.

Because sport is important to so many kiwis, our sponsorships also include New Zealand Cricket and Netball New Zealand from the elite level to the grass roots. In addition to this, we run the ANZ cricket and netball grant programmes supporting cricket and netball communities around the country.

We know that many of our customers play a huge part in supporting a range of community organisations and charities. We hope it’s nice to know that through banking with us, you’re also helping to make a positive difference for New Zealand and New Zealanders.