Supporting Kiwis with $250k energy & broadband relief.
This opinion piece from Mike Fuge, CEO of Contact, is the seventh in a series of eight looking at improving outcomes for Aotearoa.
The extreme weather events in the North Island earlier this year have really shown how vital it is to be connected, whether that’s to energy, communications, or both. These modern services are so essential to our wellbeing and usually so reliable, that most of us don’t give them a second thought. You just expect them to work.
Here at Contact, knowing that we provide such essential services gives us an extra sense of responsibility to look out for people’s wellbeing at difficult times. We take an all-round approach to this; at home for our customers, at work for our people and out in the community for Aotearoa New Zealand. We know all three groups are important - and helping one helps all.
With this in mind, our customer service representatives are empowered to make on the spot decisions to assist customers in need. To help them do that more effectively, after the cyclone (Cyclone Gabrielle) and floods we created a $250,000 energy and broadband relief programme so they can offer impacted customers immediate, targeted help.
We also support vulnerable customers who have financial challenges. We help them get the best long-term outcomes by making referrals to Money Talks, a free budgeting advice service, and we work with Work and Income Te Hiranga Tangata for customers who need additional assistance.
Our focus is on their future wellbeing as well as the here and now, and that future focus can have a wider impact on community wellbeing. People who aren’t struggling to pay their next utility bill have healthier homes, happier whanau and can play a more active role in the community.
We know there’s more we can do to support the overall wellbeing of customers in need and will be rolling out further initiatives in the coming months.
Another area we’ve focussed on is supporting Kiwis at one of the most significant times of their lives: when they become a parent again or for the first time. That’s why we created the Fourth Trimester initiative, which gives new parents free power for the first three months of their child’s life – removing any hesitation to run heating or cooling to keep baby comfortable or throwing the multitude of outfit changes in the dryer.
Our people are more effective at supporting customers if they are being looked after as well. That’s why last year we started work to get the Wellbeing Tick – a workplace accreditation programme for organisations committed to the wellbeing of their people.
We want to play our part in changing Aotearoa’s workplace culture and mental health statistics by creating healthy workplaces where people can thrive.
We now offer holistic wellbeing support in many aspects of our employee’s lives. That includes access to therapy sessions and other free health checks. Depending on their role, they have the flexibility to work from their home or the office and are encouraged to share their wellbeing stories. By having honest, open conversations, mental health stigma is reduced.
Our employees also get the same Fourth Trimester benefit as our customers, as part of our new far-reaching parental leave benefits package.
While we believe all Kiwi homes should be warm, connected and most importantly safe, we also know that unfortunately, this is not the reality for everyone. That’s why we partner with Women’s Refuge to provide free power and broadband to all affiliated refuges and safe houses across the motu.
This gives women and children warmth, light and a way to keep in touch with friends and whānau when they need it most - and for Women’s Refuge, a little financial relief so they can concentrate on what they do best.
Supporting and empowering our teams, focussing on long-term solutions for customers in need and doing our bit in the community are at the heart of our overall approach to wellbeing. We know that by doing this, we can make Aotearoa an even better place.
Contact customers needing assistance are encouraged to call 0800 80 9000.