Latest news with #BNZ
Scoop
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
NBS Dancing For A Cause 2025 Raises Record $670,000 For Nelson Tasman
Press Release – Nelson Tasman Hospice The $670,000 raised will help Nelson Tasman Hospice continue to provide specialist palliative care to approximately 210 patients and their whnau/families every month. The final fundraising total is in — and it's nothing short of extraordinary. At a special thank-you celebration held on Thursday 29 May, the Dancing for a Cause Nelson Charitable Trust proudly announced that NBS Dancing for a Cause 2025 has raised an incredible $670,000 in support of Nelson Tasman Hospice. This record-breaking figure marks the highest amount ever raised by the biennial event and will directly contribute to providing free specialist palliative care for patients and their whānau across the region. Held over two unforgettable nights on the 16 and 17 May at the Trafalgar Centre, NBS Dancing for a Cause 2025 brought together ten extraordinary locals and their dedicated dance partners, who gave it their all in a dazzling display of community spirit, storytelling, theatre and dance. 'This journey has been about more than just dancing,' said Jayde Howe, BNZ Financial Adviser and winner of the Most Funds Raised award. 'It's about making a tangible difference in our community. The support I've received has been overwhelming, and I'm honoured to contribute to such a vital cause.' Jayde raised a remarkable $250,660 through multiple fundraisers, including a quiz night, gala dinner, and G.J. Gardner home build — a shining example of just how powerful community giving can be. The Overall Judges' Award went to Rhys Black and dance partner Rebecca Higham, whose dynamic jive wowed the judges and earned the top spot on the leaderboard. 'The competition was fierce with everyone committed to their journey through their own respective experiences with palliative care' said Rhys. 'These performances honoured not only loved ones passed or facing hardship, but also for those who remain and are committed to stepping up in whatever way to help the team at Nelson Tasman Hospice, so they can continue to help our community when we need them most. It's been an absolute privilege to share this journey with the Dancing for a Cause team and connect with remarkable community leaders. With fantastic performances across both nights, it could have been anyone's game – but especially sweet to get the result, managing to edge out my wife, professional dancer Hazel Black, earn a lifetime of boasting rights and keep the trophy here in Wakefield!' Ed Shuttleworth, Chief Executive of Sport Tasman, and his partner Brooke Silke-Atkins won the Yondi Foundation People's Choice Award on both performance nights for their unforgettable tango. 'With Brooke by my side, I was determined to enjoy the moment and make her proud.' said Ed. 'I am immensely proud of our collective fundraising, the profile we have generated for Hospice and importantly how we have connected with our community. Vitally we have brought the community together and created time and space for critical conversations and support. I feel very honoured to have been part of something so special and am committed to keep supporting Hospice.' More than 4,000 people attended the two-night event, and countless others supported contestants through raffles, events, and donations — all united in support of hospice care. Garry Hammond Chair of the Dancing for a Cause Nelson Charitable Trust says we are simply blown away with what the combined team have achieved, both creatively and from their fundraising. This event is made possible from the hard mahi of so many people and championed by Emma Silke-French who has for the last 18 months worked tirelessly to make it all happen. Since it's beginning's Dancing for a Cause has contributed $1,469,000 in support of free hospice service and we are so proud of this achievement and the difference it makes in our community. Nelson Tasman Hospice CEO Tony Gray says the biennial event makes a direct impact on our ability to do what we do: 'This total means so much to our teams, our patients, and their families. It reflects the compassion and strength of our community. We are immensely grateful to every single person involved — from the dancers to the donors, the volunteers, sponsors, and audience members. Together, we have made something truly meaningful happen.' The $670,000 raised will help Nelson Tasman Hospice continue to provide specialist palliative care to approximately 210 patients and their whānau/families every month. With nearly half of hospice funding needing to come from the community, NBS Dancing for a Cause is vital to enabling us to provide our services free over the next twelve months. The Dancing for a Cause Nelson Charitable Trust, along with Emma Silke-French, would like to express heartfelt thanks to all involved for their dedication, generosity, and enthusiasm.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
OCR cut but warnings about inflation, unemployment
Photo: RNZ A cut to the official cash rate, but warnings about the strength of the economy from the Reserve Bank yesterday. The Central Bank committee cut the OCR by 25 basis points, or a quarter of a per cent, to 3.25 percent. The committe voted 5 to 1 for the cut. Its accompanying statement predicts more jobs in time, but that in the short term the labour market will remain weak and inflation will rise. Kathryn speaks with BNZ's head of research, Stephen Toplis.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
ANZ, BNZ, Westpac cut home loan rates - but where to from here?
Banks have already started to cut their interest rates. Photo: RNZ Banks had already started to cut their interest rates, ahead of an expected drop in the official cash rate (OCR) on Wednesday. BNZ moved on Tuesday, offering a 4.95 percent rate for one year and two years and 4.89 percent for 18 months. On Wednesday morning, ANZ was offering app users 4.89 percent for one year, 4.85 percent for 18 months and 4.92 percent for two years. The Reserve Bank on Wednesday cut the OCR by 25 basis points to 3.25 percent and indicated two more cuts were possible. After the announcement, ANZ also said it was cutting its floating home loan, floating business and savings rates. Its floating and flexible home loan rates dropped by 20 basis points to 6.49 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively. Westpac said it was cutting its rates to 4.95 percent across one-, two-, and three-year terms. Westpac general manager of product, sustainability and marketing Sarah Hearn said it made it easy for customers to split their rates. It will also drop its variable home loan rates by 15 basis points. She said Westpac was cutting its test rate, which it uses to assess whether buyers can afford their loans, to 6.85 percent from 7 percent. Mortgage adviser Glen McLeod said with the prospect of another couple of 25bp rate cuts being discussed by economists, borrowers were having to decide whether to fix or wait. "If we do wait, are we going to get much more?" The margin banks were making on their rates had dropped, McLeod said. He said he had been advising some clients to stick to discounted floating rates for a little bit longer. "It's usually the week after the OCR that we see discounted rates starting to show. This is the first time in a while that we've seen them start to drop rates before." But Shamubeel Eaqub, chief economist at Simplicity, said the margin between two-year retail rates and wholesale rates had increased. "It's now about 200 basis points, when we have a mortgage war it's down around 100. My sense is that if we are to have much further relief most of it will come from the banks finally getting competitive and competing for our mortgages." Gareth Kiernan, chief forecaster at Infometrics, said it had become more common in recent months for borrowers to be happy to fix for a sub-5 percent rate for a year or two, rather than holding off to see whether more drops were coming. "Whether this pushes back a bit against that... you could say the Reserve Bank is not going to raise rates any time soon, there's a chance it will need to cut in the future - you might not get much more downside on mortgage rates but it possibly doesn't hurt to wait and see." But Eaqub said the update from the Reserve Bank included bright spots for households in other ways. "It's not just the cost side of things... they're saying there should be more jobs from now on, on their projections we should see a bit more economic growth, inflation is not a huge problem, all those things are good for households." He said many people refixing their mortgages were still coming off higher rates, which would provide significant relief even if rates did not fall much further from here. The decision was made by a vote, and one member of the committee voted against the cut. Kiernan said there was understandable concern about inflation pushing up towards the top of the Reserve Bank's target band. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Banks drop interest rates
Banks have already started to cut their interest rates. Photo: RNZ Banks had already started to cut their interest rates, ahead of an expected drop in the official cash rate (OCR) on Wednesday. BNZ moved on Tuesday, offering a 4.95 percent rate for one year and two years and 4.89 percent for 18 months. On Wednesday morning, ANZ was offering app users 4.89 percent for one year, 4.85 percent for 18 months and 4.92 percent for two years. The Reserve Bank on Wednesday cut the OCR by 25 basis points to 3.25 percent and indicated two more cuts were possible. After the announcement, ANZ also said it was cutting its floating home loan, floating business and savings rates. Its floating and flexible home loan rates dropped by 20 basis points to 6.49 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively. Mortgage adviser Glen McLeod said he was hoping rates would drop a little further so the three-year rates on offer could dip below 5 percent. He said, with the prospect of another couple of 25bp rate cuts being discussed by economists, borrowers were having to decide whether to fix or wait. "If we do wait, are we going to get much more?" The margin banks were making on their rates had dropped, McLeod said. He said he had been advising some clients to stick to discounted floating rates for a little bit longer. "It's usually the week after the OCR that we see discounted rates starting to show. This is the first time in a while that we've seen them start to drop rates before." But Shamubeel Eaqub, chief economist at Simplicity, said the margin between two-year retail rates and wholesale rates had increased. "It's now about 200 basis points, when we have a mortgage war it's down around 100. My sense is that if we are to have much further relief most of it will come from the banks finally getting competitive and competing for our mortgages." Gareth Kiernan, chief forecaster at Infometrics, said it had become more common in recent months for borrowers to be happy to fix for a sub-5 percent rate for a year or two, rather than holding off to see whether more drops were coming. "Whether this pushes back a bit against that... you could say the Reserve Bank is not going to raise rates any time soon, there's a chance it will need to cut in the future - you might not get much more downside on mortgage rates but it possibly doesn't hurt to wait and see." But Eaqub said the update from the Reserve Bank included bright spots for households in other ways. "It's not just the cost side of things... they're saying there should be more jobs from now on, on their projections we should see a bit more economic growth, inflation is not a huge problem, all those things are good for households." He said many people refixing their mortgages were still coming off higher rates, which would provide significant relief even if rates did not fall much further from here. The decision was made by a vote, and one member of the committee voted against the cut. Kiernan said there was understandable concern about inflation pushing up towards the top of the Reserve Bank's target band. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Banks drop interest rates ahead of OCR
Banks have already started to cut their interest rates. Photo: RNZ Banks have already started to cut their interest rates, ahead of an expected drop in the official cash rate (OCR) on Wednesday. BNZ moved on Tuesday, offering a 4.95 percent rate for one year and two years and 4.89 percent for 18 months. On Wednesday morning, ANZ was offering app users 4.89 percent for one year, 4.85 percent for 18 months and 4.92 percent for two years. Mortgage adviser Glen McLeod said he was hoping rates would drop a little further so the three-year rates on offer could dip below 5 percent. He said, with the prospect of another couple of 25bp rate cuts being discussed by economists, borrowers were having to decide whether to fix or wait. "If we do wait, are we going to get much more?" The margin banks were making on their rates had dropped, McLeod said. He said he had been advising some clients to stick to discounted floating rates for a little bit longer. "It's usually the week after the OCR that we see discounted rates starting to show. This is the firs time in a while that we've seen them start to drop rates before." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
