ANZ donates $3 million to communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle

ANZ Bank New Zealand (ANZ NZ) today announced it would donate $3 million to communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

ANZ NZ Chief Executive Antonia Watson said the devastation from Te Taitokerau down to Tāmaki Makaurau, Coromandel, Te Tairāwhiti and Heretaunga had been enormous and would profoundly change some of those communities for years to come. 

“Tragically lives have been lost and livelihoods destroyed. Yet, what has struck me time and time again has been the response of New Zealanders – their resilience and concern for others ahead of themselves,” Ms Watson said.

“In times like this when we come together as a nation we see a phenomenal effort. The generosity we’ve seen from people donating their time, money, food and shelter to those in need has been incredible.

“Right now there are communities that need our support as they deal with the overwhelming devastation they are facing to their homes, properties and businesses.

“In the coming weeks and months we’ll have a clearer picture of the scale of the destruction and what further support is needed. We’ll work with those communities to ensure funding and support gets to where it is needed most.”

To further support the initial response and recovery effort ANZ NZ is working with a number of partner organisations and has pledged the following:

• $1 million donation to support businesses and communities through local relief funds and Iwi organisations in affected regions;

• $1 million donation to support horticulture and agriculture sector groups;

• $1 million donation to the New Zealand Red Cross Disaster Fund through a special fundraising event with NZ Cricket.

ANZ will partner with NZ Cricket to present a special fundraising cricket match to raise money for the New Zealand Red Cross Disaster Fund.

The fundraising match will be the BLACKCAPS v Sri Lanka match at Eden Park on Saturday 25 March.

ANZ will be pledging $1 million at the match and encouraging the public to donate further on the day.

Ms Watson said there would be a need for ongoing support in the form of donations, funding and finance initiatives to deal with the impacts of the cyclone.

“Once we get through the immediate crisis, central and local government, along with the business community, Iwi and civil society will need to thoughtfully respond to this huge challenge.

One of the big tasks will be the need to be innovative in how the nation funds the recovery and rebuild.” Ms Watson said.

ANZ Branch and ATM network

Our ANZ Hastings, Waipukurau and Dannevirke branches are open on their standard days with reduced hours, 9.30am – 12pm, to help with urgent transactions.

The ANZ Napier branch is open Monday to Friday 1.30 – 4pm to help with urgent transactions.

Most ANZ ATMs in Hawkes Bay are now up and running and we’re working to get all others online as soon as possible.

Our ANZ Gisborne branch is open Monday to Friday 9.30 – 12pm, to help with urgent transactions. Some ANZ ATMs in Gisborne are now working and we’re working to get all others online as soon as possible.

Our local teams are working hard to provide banking services however opening days and times may change depending on the situation on the ground.

Support for customers

With the effects of flooding and the cyclone likely to be felt for some time, we want to reassure our customers we are here to help and there is a range support options available to them.

There is targeted assistance available for our agri and business customers, including interest free temporary overdraft facilities and the ability to restructure loan repayments.

ANZ is offering interest-free, temporary overdrafts to both personal and business customers impacted by the floods and cyclone on a case by case basis for a short time.

For personal customers, we’re offering interest-free, temporary overdrafts of up to $2,000, or an interest-free, temporary overdraft of up to $10,000 for home loan customers with evidence of an insurance claim being lodged.

Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, as some conditions apply, so we encourage impacted customers to contact us and we will work through the best solution for them.

In addition, there are a range of other ways we could help, such as restructuring home loan repayments, or providing access to additional credit (lending criteria and terms apply).

We have also simplified the process for those applying for a KiwiSaver significant hardship withdrawal for amounts up to $5000.

There are also a number of fee waivers in place, as well as the ability for customers in hardship to break Term Deposits.

Any customers who need support shouldn’t hesitate to get in touch.

For banking services, call us on 0800 269 296 or use ANZ goMoney or ANZ Internet Banking.

For up to date information on the support we can offer visit our website.

For media enquiries contact Briar McCormack 021 2801173

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