Historic Timeline
We’ve been part of New Zealand for over 150 years.
1840s
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1840
Treaty of Waitangi signed
1840s
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1845 to 1866
The New Zealand Wars / Ngā pakanga o Aotearoa
1850s
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1858
Te Wherwhero becomes first Maori King
1850s
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1859
Darwin publishes 'Origin of the Species'
1860s
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1861
Otago gold rush begins
1860s
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1861
New Zealand's first telegraph line - Christchurch to Lyttelton
1860s
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1861
Auckland: The bank's first office
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BNZs first office opened on Queen Street, Auckland.
1860s
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1860s
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1862
First gold shipment from Dunedin to London
1860s
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1862 to 1992
London: Keep calm and carry on
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BNZ's London office opened on the 1st of October 1862.
1860s
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1862
Bank of New Zealand acquires the account of the central Government from the Union Bank
1860s
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1860s
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1868
Coromandel gold rush begins
1860s
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1869
New Zealand's first university is established
1870s
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1872
Bank of New Zealand branch opened in Melbourne, Australia
1870s
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1872
Telegraph communication links established between Auckland, Wellington and the Southern Provinces
1870s
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1876
Telephone invented
1870s
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1876
Bank of New Zealand branch opened in Levuka, Fiji absorbing Fiji Banking and Commercial Trading Company Ltd.
1870s
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1877
Primary education system established in New Zealand
1870s
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1879 to 1896
The Long Depression
1880s
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1882
First shipment of frozen meat leaves for England
1880s
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1886
Eruption of Mount Tarawera
1880s
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1886
Oil discovered in Taranaki
1880s
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1887
Reefton becomes first New Zealand town to have electricity
1880s
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1880s
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1888
Katherine Mansfield born
1890s
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1890
Bank of New Zealand head office moves to London to 'broaden the management expertise and improve confidence'
1890s
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1893
Women get the vote in New Zealand - a world first
1890s
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1894
The New Zealand Government became a majority owner of the Bank of New Zealand after it nearly collapsed due to the Long Depression
1900s
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1901
Queen Victoria dies
1900s
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1904
The New Zealand Government becomes a shareholder in Bank of New Zealand
1900s
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1907
New Zealand becomes a self-governing dominion
1910s
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1914 to 1918
Keeping the doors open
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During WW1, 560 BNZ Bank Officers enlisted in the Expeditionary Forces.
1910s
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1915
Gallipoli Campaign
1910s
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1918
Influenza pandemic: the Juniors are in charge
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As World War 1 ended and the soldiers returned home to New Zealand, they unwittingly brought back an influenza that ravaged the country.
1910s
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1918
Armistice signed in Europe
1920s
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1923
War Memorial Plaques
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BNZ dedicates plagues to staff killed in WWI and later in WWII.
1920s
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1926
In it for the long term
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Long term lending was first established to support 'pastoralists and agriculturalists' as a result of the Bank of New Zealand Act 1926.
1920s
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1927
Television invented
1920s
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1928 to 1935
The worst years of The Great Depression
1920s
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1929
Murchison earthquake, 1929
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The Murchison earthquake damaged much of the upper South Island, sadly killing 17 people.
1930s
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1930s
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1931
First Bank motor vehicle purchased
1930s
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1934
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is established and we stop issuing our own bank notes
1930s
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1936
Where there's a will: The W. H Hargreaves trust
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Upon his death, funds from the estate of retired staff member W. H. Hargreaves were bequeathed to financially assist BNZ widows.
1930s
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1939 to 1945
New Zealand takes part in World War II
1930s
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1939 to 1945
921 Bank of New Zealand Officers join the Forces during WWII. 54 are killed in action
1940s
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1941
Pearl Harbour bombed
1940s
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1943
To meet the needs of American servicemen, the Bank opens New Zealand's first mobile banking office in a caravan
1940s
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1944
D-Day
1940s
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1944
Bank of New Zealand opens New Zealand’s first personal loans department to grant loans to private individuals
1940s
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1945
Finance Minister Walter Nash publicly announces that the Government intends to nationalise Bank of New Zealand, offering £7,933,000 in cash to 8,500 shareholders
1940s
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1946
First electronic computer
1940s
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1947
New Zealand becomes fully independant from Britain
1950s
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1950 to 1953
Korean War
1950s
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1951
The London Cup
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BNZ London staff were gifted trophies which would become the basis of regionally run London Cup competitions.
1950s
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1952
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach the summit of Everest
1950s
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1952
King George VI dies, Elizabeth crowned Queen
1950s
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1954
Coat of Arms granted to Bank of New Zealand
1950s
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1957
Sputnik launched by Russia
1950s
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1958
PAYE introduced
1950s
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1960s
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1961
Bank of New Zealand celebrates its centenary
1960s
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1962
First American in space
1960s
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1963
John F. Kennedy assassinated
1960s
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1964
The start of BNZ Savings
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Following the Private Savings Bank Act 1964, the Bank of New Zealand Savings Bank was established.
1960s
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1964 to 1965
Vietnamese War
1960s
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1960s
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1960s
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1967
Decimal currency introduced
1960s
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1960s
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1969
Neil Armstrong walks on the moon
1970s
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1974
Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch
1970s
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1970s
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1978
Bank of New Zealand introduces VISA as a debit card to current accounts. In 1980 it becomes a credit card
1970s
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1979
Cellular phones invented
1980s
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1982
War in the Falkland Islands
1980s
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1984
Deregulation of the New Zealand financial industry commences
1980s
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1985
EFTPOS is first introduced to New Zealand through a pilot scheme with petrol stations
1980s
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1986
Sailing Away
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BNZ announced its sponsorship of the New Zealand challenge for the America's Cup.
1980s
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1987
Stock market crash devastates NZ economy
1980s
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1989
Berlin Wall comes down
1980s
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1989
Deteriorating asset quality and increasing provisions resulted in a loss of $634 million for Bank of New Zealand. This required a Government rescue package via cash issue
1990s
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1990s
•
1990
Commonwealth Games held in Auckland
1990s
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1990
A second rescue package is announced by the newly appointed National Government due to problems with the Australian Loans book. In a complex deal both the Government and Fay, Richwhite & Company provide the $720 million cash for the bailout.
1990s
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1991
Gulf War
1990s
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1992
Bank of New Zealand becomes part of the National Australia Group
1990s
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1992
Bank of New Zealand opens its first call centre
1990s
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1996
Bank of New Zealand enters into a joint partnership to form Loyalty New Zealand and manage the Fly Buys reward programme
1990s
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1997
Britain turns Hong Kong over to China
1990s
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1997
For the first time, Bank of New Zealand achieves more than $1 billion growth in home mortgage lending in one financial year
1990s
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1997
Bank of New Zealand introduces Direct Banking – a ‘virtual branch’ which customers can access via phone or fax
1990s
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1997
First female Prime Minister in NZ - Jenny Shipley
1990s
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1997
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash
1990s
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1998
Google founded
1990s
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1998
Bank of New Zealand Private Bank launched
1990s
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1999
Bank of New Zealand launches BNZ Internet Banking, followed by online securities trading and FX dealing
1990s
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1999
Helen Clark becomes the first elected female Prime Minister in NZ
2000s
•
2000
New Zealand banks are the first to open for business in the new millenium
2000s
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2001
September 11 hijacking and the World Trade Centre tragedy
2000s
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2001
BNZ Finance Limited amalgamates with Bank of New Zealand
2000s
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2001
First 'Lord of the Rings' movie is released to global acclaim
2000s
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2003
War in Iraq
2000s
•
2003
Internet banking for business customers is launched
2000s
•
2003
Bank of New Zealand Museum opens
2000s
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2003
New Zealand population reaches four million
2000s
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2004
Facebook launched
2000s
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2005
Civil Unions come into effect in NZ
2000s
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2006
Online statements, text alerts and extra security feature 'Netguard' for internet banking is introduced
2000s
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2007
Global economic downturn
2000s
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2007
In a major building programme BNZ co-designs and tenants three new buildings at Quay Park and 80 Queen Street in Auckland and Harbour Quays in Wellington
2000s
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2008
BNZ joins the National Retailers Association
2000s
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2008
Bank of New Zealand refreshes brand identity and changes name to BNZ
2000s
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2008
Breaking traditional banking barries, BNZ introduces innovative ways for customer banking and money management. 'Branches' become 'stores' reflecting BNZ's customer-focused approach to retail banking.
2000s
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2008
Barack Obama is elected President of the United States amid the US economic crisis
2000s
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2009
BNZ becomes carbon neutral
2000s
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2009
BNZ sponsorship of the Katherine Mansfield Awards celebrates 50 years
2010s
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2010
7.1 earthquake rocks Canterbury
2010s
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2010
Haiti earthquake kills 23,000
2010s
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2011
Christchurch earthquake kills 185
2010s
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2012
Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee
2010s
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2013
Same sex marriage legalised in NZ
2010s
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2016
United Kingdom votes to leave the EU
2010s
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2016
7.8 earthquake hits Kaikoura on 14 November
2010s
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2016
BNZ Centre in Christchurch opened in December
2010s
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2017
In partnership with PWC the 'John Waller Memorial Scholarship' is established at Canterbury University.
BNZ Staff News introduced as a monthly newsletter for bank staff.