Internat'l Recognition For Corporate Responsibity

29 May 2009

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR NEW ZEALAND POST CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

New Zealand Post’s corporate responsibility programme has earned international recognition and positioned the Company among the top three movers in the Australia/New Zealand Corporate Responsibility Index.

Already a New Zealand award winner, having received the 2008 Deloitte/Management Magazine Top 200 Awards Ethical Governance Award, New Zealand Post was named winner of the Corporate Social Responsibility Award at the 10th World Mail Awards in Munich earlier this month.

And today, New Zealand Post obtained an overall Participant rating in the Corporate Responsibility Index, achieving star ratings in three sections of the Index – gold star for corporate strategy, silver star for assurance and disclosure, and bronze star for integration. This was New Zealand Post’s second year in the Index and the outcome compares with one silver star, for corporate strategy, in the first year.

World Mail Awards

The World Mail Awards, open to all mail organisations, acknowledge excellence in a range of categories and are regarded as the “Oscars” of the international postal industry.

New Zealand Post was named Corporate Social Responsibility Award winner from a short list including Swiss Post and Hungary’s Magyar Posta.

The judges commented that New Zealand Post’s programme “frames community, environment, workplace and marketplace practices in support of sustainable long-term growth. The project shows how the company has committed itself to a deep sense of social responsibility.”

In a general comment, the judges added: “Unfortunately in today’s throw-away society, the voluntary approach to corporate social responsibility does not always lead to organisations meeting their environmental and social obligations. This award serves to encourage and reward those global operators who lead by example and have implemented a structured approach to social responsibilities within the business plan.”

Corporate Responsibility Index

The Corporate Responsibility Index report showed a lift in New Zealand Post’s overall corporate responsibility score from 51% in its first year of participation, to 68.12% for the reporting period to the end of June 2008. This movement ranked New Zealand Post as the third most improved organisation for 2008.

The report notes: “New Zealand Post has made significant progress in implementing sustainable change within the organisation. Evidence of new programmes, activities and initiatives has been demonstrated, outlining process improvements and highlighting performance gains. The appropriate attitude, senior level support and the desire to improve have all meant that New Zealand Post is still keen to keep learning and improve performance.”

There are 38 participants in the Index. New Zealand Post is the only full participant from New Zealand.

New Zealand Post Group Chief Executive John Allen said the Company strengthened its corporate responsibility programmes in 2007 and he was pleased its efforts were being recognised.

“Corporate responsibility to us means responsibility to our customers, to our employees, to our communities and to the generations of New Zealanders who have effectively invested in the organisation over its 169 year history.

“We want to improve measurement of all that we do and to make meaningful international comparisons. The Corporate Responsibility Index report provides a clear view of where we must focus.

“This is a classic example of continuous improvement. As companies start achieving existing standards, Business in the Community raises the bar. It’s a challenge we welcome and means we must constantly work on our programmes to meet tougher criteria,” said Mr Allen.

ENDS

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