BNZ ready to help local community

BNZ is closing its doors again this year to volunteer for community projects. Pictured is a group of staff members clearing a BMX track last year. PHOTO/FILE

A local bank is once again closing its doors for one day and sending its staff into Rotorua to work with community groups.

BNZ's Closed for Good initiative is happening again this year with project submissions opening yesterday.

The bank will shut each of its stores on August 31 and up to 5500 BNZ staff will get stuck in, helping community organisations around New Zealand.

BNZ chief executive Anthony Healy said Closed for Good was a highlight on the calendar for staff who enjoyed working alongside community groups to support the work they do.

"Now in its seventh year, Closed for Good is New Zealand's largest volunteer day with BNZ people helping with everything from fence painting to cleaning up public spaces to running scam savvy workshops - we want to hear from any Rotorua community group who needs a job done.

"Volunteering is one of the unsung heroes of our economy and being part of Closed for Good doesn't have to end with one day. All our staff have a second day of volunteering and often Closed for Good is a starting point for long term connections in our local communities."

Closed for Good:
- Community groups are invited to register their projects as of yesterday
- In 2015, in the wider Bay of Plenty region, 119 staff worked on 27 different community group projects
- New Zealand's single largest day of corporate volunteering