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 Wherowhero becomes first Maori King
1850s
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1859
Darwin publishes 'Origin of the Species'
1860s
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1861
Founding of the Bank of New Zealand
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On 11 June 1861 The Southern Cross newspaper reported that a meeting had been held on the previous day to discuss the establishment of a bank.
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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1861
New Plymouth, the King family and the Stone Cottage
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New Plymouth Branch Opened on the 18 November 1861, this was the second branch of the bank to open after Auckland.
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 to 1868
Alexander Kennedy appointed first General Manager of Bank of New Zealand
1860s
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1860s
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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
Nelson
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The fourth branch to be opened by the bank, Nelson opened for business on 13th January 1862 in small, rented premises in Hardy Street.
1860s
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1862
First gold shipment from Dunedin to London
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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1868 to 1888
David Limond Murdoch appointed Chief Executive upon the retirement of Alexander Kennedy. He receives the title of General Manager in 1877.
1860s
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1869
The University of Otago was founded, this was New Zealand's first University.
1870s
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1872
Telegraph communication links established between Auckland, Wellington and the Southern Provinces
1870s
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1872
Bank of New Zealand branch opened in Melbourne, Australia
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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1888
Katherine Mansfield born
1880s
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1888 to 1889
John Murray appointed General Manager, 5th June 1888
1880s
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1889 to 1890
George Edmeades Tolhurst appointed General Manager, 14th June 1889
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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1890
John Marten Butt appointed Acting General Manager
1890s
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1890 to 1894
William Turton Holmes appointed General Manager, 25th December 1890
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
1890s
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1894 to 1895
C G Andrews appointed Acting General Manager
1890s
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1895
The Colonial Bank of New Zealand
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In 1895 the BNZ purchased The Colonial Bank of New Zealand, 21 years after it had first opened for business on High Street, Dunedin.
1890s
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1895 to 1897
Henry Mackenzie appointed General Manager, 25th November 1895
1890s
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1897 to 1899
Charles George Tegetmeier appointed General Manager, 30th April 1897
1900s
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1900 to 1903
James Embling appointed General Manager, 1st January 1900
1900s
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1901
Queen Victoria dies
1900s
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1903 to 1906
Alexander Macintosh appointed General Manager, 22nd June 1903
1900s
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1904
The New Zealand Government becomes a shareholder in Bank of New Zealand
1900s
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1906 to 1907
Alexander Michie appointed General Manager, 15 January 1906
1900s
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1907
New Zealand becomes a self-governing dominion
1900s
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1907 to 1920
William Callendar appointed General Manager, 1st April 1907
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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1920 to 1933
Sir Henry Buckleton appointed General Manager, 1st February 1920
1920s
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1923
War Memorial Plaques
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BNZ dedicates plaques 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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1934 to 1939
Frank William Dawson appointed General Manager, 1st January 1934
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
1930s
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1939 to 1945
Henry Ralph Hervey Chalmers appointed General Manager, 1st May 1939
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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1945 to 1950
Paul Lancelot Porter appointed General Manager, 1st December 1945
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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1951 to 1962
Richard D Moore appointed General Manager, 1st January 1951
1950s
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1952
King George VI dies, Elizabeth crowned Queen
1950s
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1953
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach the summit of Everest
1950s
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1954
Motor bank - Drive In Banking
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BNZ opens the first Motorbank in New Zealand at Vivian Street Branch, Wellington. Allowing customers to conduct their banking from the comfort of their own car at specially designed Teller kiosks.
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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1950s
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1958
PAYE introduced
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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1962 to 1967
J G Souness appointed General Manager, 1st March 1962
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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1967 to 1973
John Frederick Earnshaw appointed General Manager, 1st January 1967
1960s
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1969
Neil Armstrong walks on the moon
1970s
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1973 to 1979
Bruce Henderson Smith appointed General Manager, 1st July 1973
1970s
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1970s
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1974
Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch
1970s
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1974
BNZ introduces New Zealand's first bank card product with the Nationwide Card as part of the Nationwide Bank Account. The card was a cheque guarantee card.
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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1980 to 1985
William J Shaw appointed General Manager, 1st January 1980
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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1984
BNZ and ANZ join up to launch Autobank ‘self-service banking every day and night’. Customers were issued with Autobank cards which could be used in the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) network. Customers could make deposits and withdrawals, obtain a balance figure, and transfer funds from one account to another.
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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1985 to 1989
Robert Baker McCay appointed General Manager, 13st June 1985
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
1980s
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1989 to 1992
Lindsay Pyne appointed General Manager, 1st May 1989
1990s
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1990s
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1990
Kiri's Homecoming - Dame Kiri Te Kanawa hits a high note with New Zealanders
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As part of the nation’s 150th celebrations in 1990, (150 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi) the BNZ announced that it would be ‘bringing Kiri home’ for a series of free open-air concerts as part of its gift to the nation.
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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1990
Commonwealth Games held in Auckland
1990s
•
1991
Gulf War
1990s
•
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
•
1992 to 1995
R M C Prowse appointed General Manager
1990s
•
1996
Bank of New Zealand enters into a joint partnership to form Loyalty New Zealand and manage the Fly Buys reward programme
1990s
•
1996 to 1998
Gordon J Wheaton appointed CEO, 08 January 1996
1990s
•
1997
Britain turns Hong Kong over to China
1990s
•
1997
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash
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
•
1997
First female Prime Minister in NZ - Jenny Shipley
1990s
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1998
Google founded
1990s
•
1998
Bank of New Zealand Private Bank launched
1990s
•
1998 to 2000
Mike Pratt appointed CEO, 5th May 1998
1990s
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1998
BNZ is the first bank in NZ to offer paid parental leave to eligible employees.
1990s
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1999
Internet Banking
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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
•
2000 to 2007
Peter Thodey appointed CEO, March 2000
2000s
•
2001
September 11 hijacking and the World Trade Centre tragedy
2000s
•
2001
BNZ Finance Limited amalgamates with Bank of New Zealand
2000s
•
2001
First 'Lord of the Rings' movie is released to global acclaim
2000s
•
2003
War in Iraq
2000s
•
2003
Internet banking for business customers is launched
2000s
•
2003
Bank of New Zealand Museum opens
2000s
•
2003
New Zealand population reaches four million
2000s
•
2004
Facebook launched
2000s
•
2005
Civil Unions come into effect in NZ
2000s
•
2006
Online statements, text alerts and extra security feature 'Netguard' for internet banking is introduced
2000s
•
2007
Global economic downturn
2000s
•
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
•
2007 to 2008
Cameron Clyne appointed CEO, 20th February 2007
2000s
•
2008
BNZ joins the National Retailers Association
2000s
•
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
•
2008 to 2014
Andrew Thorburn appointed CEO, 1st October 2008
2000s
•
2009
BNZ becomes carbon neutral
2000s
•
2009
BNZ sponsorship of the Katherine Mansfield Awards celebrates 50 years
2010s
•
2010
Haiti earthquake kills 23,000
2010s
•
2010
7.1 earthquake rocks Canterbury
2010s
•
2011
Christchurch earthquake kills 185
2010s
•
2012
Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee
2010s
•
2013
Same sex marriage legalised in NZ
2010s
•
2014 to 2018
Anthony Healey appointed CEO
2010s
•
2016
United Kingdom votes to leave the EU
2010s
•
2016
7.8 earthquake hits Kaikoura on 14 November
2010s
•
2016
BNZ Centre in Christchurch opened in December
2010s
•
2017
In partnership with PWC the 'John Waller Memorial Scholarship' is established at Canterbury University.
2010s
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2018
Angela Mentis, the first female managing director and CEO of BNZ appointed January 2018
2010s
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2019
COVID-19 is first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The virus was declared a pandemic by the WHO on the 11 March 2020.
2010s
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2019
Scam Savvy week is launched. During August, 3,500 BNZers volunteered to help more than 55,000 New Zealander's feel safer online. Not limited to one week the bank continues to provide resources to help keep New Zealander's safer on line.
2020s
•
2021
BNZ and Southern Pastures sign NZ's first farm sustainability-linked loan. Southern Pastures will receive financial incentives for hitting environmental targets such as improvements in water quality, biodiversity and reductions in carbon.
2020s
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2021
Dan Huggins appointed CEO, 1st October 2021
BNZ Staff News introduced as a monthly newsletter for bank staff.