Sustainability at Kiwibank
Kiwibank has won the Emerging Large and Corporate Business Award at the National Sustainable Business Awards 2009. Find out more
Sustainability is at the heart of what we do at Kiwibank. We strongly believe that a sustainable approach is essential for our customers, as well as for our long term success. Sustainability is not just about the environment – it's also about supporting and growing communities, and about being financially sustainable as well.
Kiwibank supports sustainability for New Zealanders by:
- helping our customers get ahead in their personal or business lives by helping them make sustainable financial decisions
- challenging other banks to improve the banking industry for the benefit of all New Zealanders
- running our business using socially responsible practices
- helping develop communities – we've set up Kiwibank through 330 PostShops around New Zealand, sustaining smaller communities that otherwise may not have easy access to a bank
- driving a strategy of being the best value bank in New Zealand (link to Cannex award info)
- being innovative: we introduced the first email statements, first full mobile phone banking, first fee–free credit card and the first free transaction account.
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What we do at our place
In our offices, we run our sustainability programme in four different areas: community, workplace, marketplace and environment. We have a steering committee and sustainability champions – all volunteers.
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Key sustainability initiatives
Here's just a few things we've been up to:
- Our paper recycling has reduced greenhouse gases by approximately 1.6 tonnes a month.
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Stop my statements
We actively encourage customers to get their monthly statements electronically. As of the June 2009, 31% of our customers receive only electronic statements. Our target is 40% by June 2010.
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Trim your waste
We reduced rubbish going to the tip by 20% between June 2008 and February 2009 through recycling of plastics, aluminium, glass, paper and cardboard.
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Customer Care programme
We help when a customer's financial circumstances change (or are about to change), and to improve our customers'; financial fitness. There are many initiatives that have been introduced as part of our care programme, including a dedicated care team to assist customers with debt restructures, payment plans and repayment holidays and distributing 10,000 copies of Money & You by financial advisor, Lisa Dudson.
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Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme
Home loan top–up fee waiver for Kiwibank Home Loan customers to improve the insulation in their houses.
- We work with many groups to share financial and economic information, including Iwi, cultural and ethnic groups.
