Westpac New Zealand

Happy Diwali! A massive thank you to our Westpac Cultural EAG for the excellent event they organised to celebrate Diwali this year. #Diwali #TogetherGreater Radha Banerjee Afiafi Leala Morgan Harrison Odessa To'o Robert Fernandes Dinesh Magan Olympia D'souza Tamara Pinto Utishtha Sekhon Christina Joseph Julie Kaur Neha Parepalli Prabhjot Kaur Eshan Bhardwaj Naz Jasnih Rishika Aneja Reuben Tucker Helen Ryder Catherine McGrath

Our partner the Centre for Sustainable Finance: Toitū Tahua has launched a brilliant new guide to help New Zealand's small and medium sized businesses with simplified sustainability reporting. The ‘Starter for Ten’ guide provides a clear and concise tool for SMEs to begin measuring and reporting on the sustainability-related metrics banks, investors, customers and other stakeholders are increasingly asking for to assess risk, resilience and business values. A great resource! #Sustainability #SustainableFinance #TogetherGreater Reuben Tucker Joanna Silver Belinda van Eyndhoven

Amazing work led by our Product team to create new cards that are more accessible for customers with low vision, have a lower impact on the environment, and look pretty damn good too! 👀🌈💖   Highlights of our new cards: ▪️ A new notch: An indent at one end guides you on which way to insert your card, with a different notch shape for each card type – debit, credit and prepaid. ▪️ Bigger and bolder information: Card details are boldly printed on the back, making them easier to see and less likely to fade over time. ▪️ Inclusion of braille: To indicate the card type, giving our visually impaired customers another way to identify their card. ▪️ Goodbye to the old signature panel: With advancements in technology and security, this isn’t needed any more.  ▪️ Lower impact on the environment: The card plastic is made from 100% recycled plastic (instead of new plastic). A small but important change as part of our commitment to care for the planet.   Great work: Alyssa Turner Joe McRae Shalini V. Jackie See Emma Beaton Abby Jackson maree bolt Sandeep (Sunny) Gajadhar Laura Mischefski Sarah Wall Cameron Ryan Courtney Wright Suzanne Goldsbury Penelope S. Pip Mearns Kate Smallwood Joash Dass Sarah Moore Enpei Z. Ray Gabriel Lanzaderas Craig Forster Jordan Hohepa Kexin Li Sarah Goforth Shannon Brown Jyoti Purohit Pawan Nath Karishma Prasad Tania Reed Alexandra Beattie Sharon Moynagh Tanja Jujnovich Rawal Louisa Golding Frith Morrissey Olivia McLean Summer Hamilton Jodi Crighton Alex Inns Nileema Allerston Sarah Hearn #Accessibility #TogetherGreater

We’re thrilled to have joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower - Australia & New Zealand programme.   Not all disabilities are immediately obvious to the eye so we’ve trained our people to recognise that colleagues or customers wearing the Hidden Sunflower lanyard or pin might need a bit of extra support.   Nearly one in four New Zealanders has a physical, sensory, learning or other disability. The Hidden Sunflower provides a discrete way for wearers to indicate they may need a bit of additional understanding, time, or support.   For more information on the programme, or to get your business involved see https://lnkd.in/g-b_SiKP A massive thank you to our video participants Jo Dugdale Amy-Louise Clark Sarah Hearn Vanessa Bodo and Jayant Bharati #TogetherGreater Jared Hutcheson Louisa Brock Mandy Snell Mark Street Helen Ryder Catherine McGrath Haemia Melling Morgan Harrison

Computers might not immediately spring to mind when you think “search and rescue”, but technology can play a vital role in successful operations. Our Westpac Lower South Island Board recently pitched in to repurpose Westpac monitors and laptops to donate to Land Search and Rescue (Land SAR) Southland.   A number of our Southland team, including Vanessa Peterson, Raelene Gay and Sara Robinson, are volunteers for Land SAR Southland, and Sara says the tech upgrade has made a big difference: “Since the monitors have been donated, Invercargill teams have been involved in five operations. The tech has made a difference in helping to bring members of our community who are lost, missing and injured home to their loved ones.” Westpac has 10 regional boards throughout the country, focused on connecting our people with their communities and supporting local initiatives. #TogetherGreater Sarah Hearn Jessica Fryer Haemia Melling Janelle Greene Mike Sutherland Ashlee McLeod Tessa Sprosen Jacky Cowley Karyn Pettersen Phil Taylor Sarah Wall

Since we launched our Sustainable Business Loan in June 2023, we've provided more than $440m to support property projects that are either being built sustainably, or are aimed at delivering positive environmental or community outcomes. Reuben Tucker, our MD Institutional & Business Banking, says: “We knew there was a demand for this kind of solution and the uptake from the property sector in particular has been fantastic.” Customers receive a discount on the loan interest margin if the building or other asset meets the Sustainable Business Loan criteria. Customers who have taken up the Sustainable Business Loan include Modus Community Housing - the company's latest development, a 36-unit complex in Auckland's Manurewa (pictured below), is providing affordable rental accommodation to tenants. Read more here. https://lnkd.in/gT5D3dvU #TogetherGreater #SustainableFinance Joanna Silver Mark Handyside John Machell David Hope David Greig Max Garbutt Tim Forgeson Hannah Paterson Warrick Gibbs Kate Archer Kate Gunthorp

Westpac’s Brad McCarthy used one of his #volunteer days this year for a cause dear to his heart. ❤ Brad’s wife Laura passed away in April 2023 so on Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, October 13, Brad performed a Jump for Joy – bungy jumping off the Auckland Harbour Bridge to raise money for breast cancer charity Sweet Louise. Brad says he wanted to give back to the communities and charities that supported his whānau through an incredibly challenging time – he wanted to live life to the max, challenge himself and give back. Sweet Louise provides practical and emotional support for New Zealanders living with incurable breast cancer. If you want to join Brad and help out Sweet Louise, head to his Jump 4 Joy site: https://lnkd.in/gFxyZ26E #WestpacDoubleYou #TogetherGreater

We’re delighted to have helped our customer MCL Capital Limited develop a new Sustainable Finance Framework, guiding the company to invest in sustainable assets and provide sustainable solutions for its customers. MCL leases technology and communications equipment to the public sector and large corporates. Their new Sustainable Finance Framework, developed with our Sustainable Finance team, will flow through every aspect of their business, meaning MCL customers can lease everything from lower emissions equipment through to technology that will be repurposed at the end of its lease for young people to use, improving digital inclusion.   Murray Bridge, MCL Capital Executive Director, says sustainability has always been a key focus for the company. "Over the 11 years we’ve been in business, more than 99% of our assets have been refurbished and reused. Developing the Sustainable Finance Framework was a natural next step for us.” “We’re now keen to also provide sustainable leases for projects that support decarbonisation and energy efficiency, as well as projects with positive social outcomes, and are really pleased to be working with Westpac in this space.” Pictured are the MCL and Westpac Sustainable Finance teams on a recent visit to BMS-IT Ltd and Echo, both key partners in the delivery of MCL's sustainable end-of-lease services.  #TogetherGreater Kate Archer Hannah Paterson Joanna Silver Mark Handyside Reuben Tucker Brent Moreton Marc Banks Sarah Wall Murray MacLeod Chris Fawkner Amy Russell James Meadowcroft Patrick Moynahan BMS-IT Ltd

Our thoughts are with the family of Southland Chamber of Commerce president Reece McDonald. Reece was a champion for Southland business and a massive supporter of the annual Westpac Chopper Appeal Bike Ride. 2024 was Reece’s 10th appearance in the event and we proudly celebrated with him as he received his 10-year plate from Richie and Gemma McCaw. A local legend gone far too soon. Rest in peace, Reece. https://lnkd.in/gBXvZQE2 Phil Taylor Cat Feaunati Reuben Tucker

The Westpac NZ Economics Team weigh in on today's 50bps cut to the OCR. Click through and hit Follow to stay up to date with all their research, reports and analysis