Sustainability - Corporate Responsibility

Sustainability

Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI)

Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes

In 2009, our parent company ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited) was assessed as the leading bank globally on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the third year in a row.

The DJSI is the most widely accepted assessment of Corporate Responsibility performance and assesses business management practices such as corporate governance, risk management, customer relations, brand management, human resources, corporate community investment, climate change mitigation and environmental performance.

New Zealand has contributed to the ANZ's success, particularly, in relation to our community investment, environmental initiatives and corporate governance.

Strengthening our connection with communities is inherent to our culture. Our staff actively volunteer and have donated over 12,000 hours to community projects this year.

Our Staff Foundation, a staff giving scheme matched dollar for dollar by the Bank, has seen more than $1.4 million in community grants to over 300 charities since 2002.

We are also reducing our environmental footprint; this year, the Bank's 9,000 staff have saved over 230 tonnes of paper (5,520 trees), reduced air travel by 30% and more than doubled recycling.

Investing in improving New Zealanders' financial knowledge matters too, and we're committed to helping customers who are facing financial stress.

We sponsor the ANZ-Retirement Commission Financial Knowledge Survey. The survey findings are also applied through the Bank's community agreement with Plunket, where MoneyMinded financial education workshops have reached 3,175 New Zealanders with young families in the past year.

We have also helped more than 4,300 customers through our Financial Wellbeing Programme. The Bank has provided its customers with access to specialist internal advisors, independent budget advisors, dedicated websites and brochures, with frontline staff given extra training in managing sensitive conversations with customers who may be in financial difficulty.

ANZ in New Zealand is part of ANZ National Bank Limited, a subsidiary of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited.