In a first for New Zealand’s finance sector, BNZ has launched a community and social hub – BNZ Community – where New Zealanders can give, and get, guidance on all things banking and money-related.

Coinciding with the start of Money Week, BNZ’s director, retail and marketing Craig Herbison says that BNZ Community will help make it easier for New Zealanders to talk about money and banking.

“This year’s Money Week theme is around getting Kiwis fighting fit with their money, andwe think that BNZ Community is a great place to start improving our collective knowledgeabout our finances,” he says.Users can ask questions, search out and give answers, earn rewards for being an expert, and share their knowledge about money and banking. BNZ Community will also be integrated across the bank’s website and existing social media platforms.

BNZ's social media team interacts with thousands of customers every year through its socialmedia channels, and Mr Herbison believes that BNZ Community will build on the bank's already strong, customer-focused social media presence.“We know that our customers are increasingly seeking advice online, and that they treat advice from peers and online experts with high regard. “We’ve launched BNZ Community to foster these really important conversations, and encourage a culture of peer-to-peer support in banking,” he says.Mr Herbison says BNZ Community will also allow people to actively contribute to the products and services that BNZ develops. “YouMoney is a great example of this because we’ve been constantly listening to our customers’ feedback and using it to make improvements. “BNZ Community will facilitate this on a larger scale; helping us to deliver what our customers want and letting them be a part of our mission to help New Zealanders be good with money,” he says.

BNZ Community has two main components; a forum where users can post a query, start up a conversation and search out the best answers to questions, and the separate ‘Good with Money’ blog, where BNZ will be doing their bit to contribute to New Zealand’s knowledge of banking and money.