Business suits are being traded in for garden gloves and shovels as BNZ staff undertake their annual Closed for Good initiative.

All BNZ branches across the Western Bay of Plenty are closed today as staff give back to the community through voluntary work on projects.


BNZ Cameron Road agri business partner Hayley Cunningham.

Today about 30 staff are working with Tauranga City Council at Omanu Beach pulling weeds and planting natives to help preserve the sand dunes.

BNZ Partners Centre business partner, and project coordinator, Robert Barclay says they're trying to rejuvenate the dunes to build the sand back up and eliminate erosion as part of the Coastal Care programme.

'The flowers are coming out, the weeds are coming out and we are replanting spinifex and native grasses.”

Robert says every year staff are approached by various community groups looking for volunteers to help out with their projects.

A project list is then put up on a board and the staff choose want they want to do as part of Closed for Good.

'This is one of the few projects we were able to choose from in the Tauranga area that was actually outdoors,” says Robert.

'We have a really good turnout of staff who have been looking forward to getting involved and spending the day out in the fresh air.

'I would say of the 30 we have here, two thirds of them were probably working in the project last year and have done outdoor projects in previous years.”

Robert says weather permitting; they will be there until about 3pm.

Other staff across the region are on their knees painting picket fences at St Mary's Anglican Church in Mount Maunganui; helping people be moneywise at Baywide Community Law and undertaking odd jobs at Fern Garden Preschool.