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.
