ASB Set To Begin Announcing The 100 Kiwi Businesses Selected To Borrow The All Blacks

Monday, 28 September 2020, 1:40 pm
Press Release: ASB Bank

ASB has reviewed nearly 2,000 entries to select the 100 small to medium Kiwi businesses that will get a share of the bank’s New Zealand Rugby sponsorship through the ASB Borrow the All Blacks campaign.

ASB has chosen to share its biggest sponsorship asset with 100 Kiwi businesses to provide practical help to business customers in need of a boost in these challenging times.

The bank’s executive general manager of Business Banking, Tim Deane, says the campaign is an innovative way the bank can lend a hand beyond the financial.

“ASB has already provided more than $3.3 billion dollars of principal relief, $180 million in low interest overdrafts and $2 billion in loan repayment deferrals to Business Banking customers on top of the Government scheme - but more debt is not always the right answer.

“Borrow the All Blacks is our way of lending more than just money to hardworking SMEs who are the very backbone of New Zealand’s economy. We’re gifting them a slice of our most valuable sponsorship asset by creating a tailored advertising package for each of the 100 selected businesses featuring either the All Blacks, the Māori All Blacks or the Black Ferns.”

Mr Deane says when the campaign launched in July, entries poured in from every corner of New Zealand, from Northland to Invercargill and across to the Chatham Islands. Applicants ranged from beekeepers, unpasteurised milk producers and commercial spirulina growers through to butchers, bakers, fish and chip shop owners and tradies of every kind.

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“They include everything from start-ups to long standing businesses, some are proudly local family run operations and others are exporting New Zealand’s best to the world. These companies are doing some truly incredible things but a lot have suffered due to COVID-19. It’s been inspiring to hear their stories and we’re so proud to be able to shine a light on them and give them this boost.

Many of the applications highlighted the important part these businesses play in their local communities. Given the theme of the campaign, many shared details about their commitment to grassroots rugby through sponsorship or volunteering as coaches and referees.

“While we are going to start announcing the 100 businesses from next week, I can’t resist giving a sneak preview of one of the selected businesses, Kaitaia’s Bayside Painting, because it’s a great example of how SMEs are the heart and soul of many of our small towns.”

Bayside Painting regularly offers free labour and painting materials to good causes. Last year they donated the paint and staff time to freshen up their local rugby clubrooms and since then they have donated paint supplies for a local church renovation and other community projects.

Owner Tux Albert and his wife Kellie say their team wants to give back whenever they can. Mr Albert says, “There are projects we knock off in a day that might take someone else a week, so we like to do what we can to help out.

“I started about two and a half years ago as a sole trader and we’ve just grown the business from there and now we have a team of six. It wasn’t the plan to run my own company, it just happened as I took on more projects and built up a team, but it’s been great.

“We’ve had to adapt with the impacts of COVID but this ad will help build our profile which is awesome.”

Bayside Painting’s 15 second video features members of the All Blacks team, and will be released on Monday 28 September as part of the first batch of 38 Borrow the All Blacks ads.

ASB Borrow the All Blacks sits alongside a range of ASB initiatives aimed at helping small businesses through COVID-19. Visit the ASB Business Hub at https://businesshub.asb.co.nz/ for more information.

Link to Bayside Painting’s video: https://youtu.be/ebjuZ1H2LG0

Campaign insights:

Almost 2,000 applications over four weeks
Applications received from Northland through to Invercargill and across to the Chatham Islands
100 businesses selected from all regions across the country
The largest number of applications came from tradies across a whole range of skillsets
Tourism and hospitality businesses also featured heavily

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