BNZ And Zeald Partner To Boost Business With Digital Clusters

Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) and Zeald are partnering to launch the Digital Cluster Initiative where groups of businesses will come together to transform their digital operations, grow their businesses and strengthen SME performance in the regions.

Starting as a three-cluster pilot, BNZ and Zeald are committing $500,000 to the project that will equip businesses with state-of-the-art eCommerce and digital collaboration tools to increase productivity, competition and develop new routes to market.

In addition to an e-commerce platform, businesses in each of the pilot clusters will be set-up in a centralised digital marketplace with wraparound support to help establish their online brand.

BNZ Chief Economist, Paul Conway, says, “Business clusters have huge potential to transform Kiwi SME performance.

“Many small Kiwi businesses operate in insular local markets, but by clustering on e-commerce platforms and using digital tools they will be able to expand into new territories, lift performance and returns.

“Digital marketplaces help bring both domestic and international economies closer to Kiwi SMEs. Over time we hope that it creates new export markets for New Zealand businesses,” says Conway.

BNZ Head of Growth Sectors Brandon Jackson says, “By combining Zeald’s digital expertise with BNZ’s reach and networks, we want to help New Zealand businesses supercharge their growth, using technology to lift productivity and enter new markets.”

David Kelly, Chairman of Zeald, says the digital opportunities for New Zealand are enormous.

“Through this initiative, we want to help businesses to collaborate, to adopt ecommerce, and to build a digital economy - supporting businesses to grow and thrive in a digital world.”

The Digital Cluster Initiative is part of BNZ's and Zeald's commitment as founding members of the Digital Boost Alliance.

Business groups within New Zealand can apply now to be one of the three pilot digital clusters at www.digitalclusters.nz. Applications are open until 16 December, 2021.

Notes for editors:

For more information visit www.digitalclusters.nz or download the Digital Boost Alliance Commitment Document, which details the scope of the initiative here.

More details on the recently established Digital Boost Alliance can be found at: www.digitalboostalliance.nz.

About Bank of New Zealand (BNZ): Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) was founded in 1861 and is committed to being an integral part of a high achieving New Zealand and helping its customers be good with money.

BNZ employs more than 4,700 people to help its 1.2 million customers across the country, and has 145 branches and Partners Centres across New Zealand. The bank works with personal, business, agri, charity and private wealth clients offering services in retail, small business, commercial, corporate, agribusiness, institutional and investment, and insurance.

BNZ is one of New Zealand's largest carbon neutral companies and works to help make New Zealand’s communities stronger. Bank of New Zealand is a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Group of companies, and is governed locally by a fully empowered New Zealand Board of Directors.

About Zeald: Zeald is New Zealand's largest, most experienced website design and digital transformation agency for Kiwi SME businesses. For 20 years, Zeald has worked at the forefront of digital technology in New Zealand, specialising in ecommerce, web development and digital marketing. Since 2001, Zeald has worked with more than 15,000 small to medium-sized businesses to digitally transform, processed more than $2billion in transactions locally through its own ecommerce platform, and upskilled more than 50,000 people through its digital education programmes. In March 2020, Zeald launched its social-impact initiative GEM (the Get Ecommerce Movement) to support greater digital enablement in Aotearoa. To date, Zeald has given away more than 1000 free GEM websites to help get small businesses trading online and to start their digital transformation journey. www.zeald.com

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