It would be a mistake to think of Westpac in the same way as one thinks of the big global corporate banks , even though it is one of the ‘ big four ’ in Australia . For a start it doesn ’ t even sound like a bank , its portmanteau name , adopted in 1982 when it merged with a number of Australian banks , signifying the western pacific region rather than the finance sector . Westpac has been in New Zealand ever since it was founded as the Bank of New South Wales in 1861 , and today Westpac New Zealand is the government banker as well as serving businesses throughout the country and more than 1.3mn customers .
Talking to Rob Halsall , the bank ’ s Chief Procurement Officer ( CPO ), one quickly begins to appreciate why it is different . For a start , it is very closely aligned to the values that make New Zealand an outstanding place to live . That ’ s illustrated by three issues it places right at the front of its agenda – promoting electrification in transport , tailoring its services for people with dementia and providing equal opportunities to women , especially in leadership roles .
The first of these is a passion of Westpac NZ CEO David McLean , who drives an electric car himself , and has joined a group of large corporations in committing the bank to a 30 % electric fleet by the end of next year . Halsall himself is on the board of Drive Electric . “ Transitioning to EVs is more complex than just ordering the cars : you have to take the infrastructure , people ’ s habits and preferences as well as total cost . At the bank we ’ ve been working on the project for the last twelve months .”
Westpac New Zealand
It would be a mistake to think of Westpac in the same way as one thinks of the big global corporate banks , even though it is one of the ‘ big four ’ in Australia . For a start it doesn ’ t even sound like a bank , its portmanteau name , adopted in 1982 when it merged with a number of Australian banks , signifying the western pacific region rather than the finance sector . Westpac has been in New Zealand ever since it was founded as the Bank of New South Wales in 1861 , and today Westpac New Zealand is the government banker as well as serving businesses throughout the country and more than 1.3mn customers .
Talking to Rob Halsall , the bank ’ s Chief Procurement Officer ( CPO ), one quickly begins to appreciate why it is different . For a start , it is very closely aligned to the values that make New Zealand an outstanding place to live . That ’ s illustrated by three issues it places right at the front of its agenda – promoting electrification in transport , tailoring its services for people with dementia and providing equal opportunities to women , especially in leadership roles .
The first of these is a passion of Westpac NZ CEO David McLean , who drives an electric car himself , and has joined a group of large corporations in committing the bank to a 30 % electric fleet by the end of next year . Halsall himself is on the board of Drive Electric . “ Transitioning to EVs is more complex than just ordering the cars : you have to take the infrastructure , people ’ s habits and preferences as well as total cost . At the bank we ’ ve been working on the project for the last twelve months .”