SBS Bank renews sponsorship commitments with Southland community

“We are pleased to reconfirm our funding for these groups, recognising the two-year commitment offers certainty of support to make a difference.”

SBS Bank head office in Invercargill.

SBS Bank has renewed its financial support for a wide range of Southland organisations.

The 154-year-old bank has confirmed a further two-year commitment to its key sponsorship portfolio that extends to community partnerships, sports, arts and culture. This includes:

Community partnerships

• Hawthorndale Care Village

• The Southland Loss and Grief Centre

Sports Sponsorships

• The Highlanders (front of jersey sponsorship)

• NZ Golf Open (volunteer programme)

• The Southland Stags (jersey sponsorships – men’s and women’s teams)

• The Tour of Southland (naming rights)

• The Southland Sharks

• Southland Football (women and girls programme)

Arts and culture

• Invercargill Musical Theatre/Arts

“As the bank with heart, SBS is here to make an authentic, sustainable impact for our Members and the communities we operate in,” says SBS Bank Group Chief Executive Mark McLean.

“Sponsorship is a vital way we give back, with financial support helping this broad range of organisations continue doing what they do best.

“We are pleased to reconfirm our funding for these groups, recognising the two-year commitment offers certainty of support to make a difference.”

“The wellbeing of our community has been strong in our DNA throughout the 154 years SBS has been in business, and we are proud of the support we have been able to offer through our sponsorship programme,” Mr McLean says.

“We also encourage our team members to get involved in their communities by supporting charities and participating in events through our staff volunteer leave policy.”

As SBS continues to give back through sponsorship, Mr McLean says SBS is focused on ensuring its sponsorships are representative of its Members and the diversity within its communities.

Rugby Southland’s Commercial Marketing Manager Jack King says the announcement of extended sponsorship from SBS is a welcome boost for the Southland Stags and the 30 clubs and the more than 5000 participants Rugby Southland administers.

“SBS is a proactive, passionate sponsor and we appreciate its focus on junior and female rugby. At the end of the day, Rugby Southland’s focus is on providing a community game and the support from SBS allows us to keep costs to clubs and participants down, where possible, so we can increase participation and enjoy seeing more people playing rugby.”

Southland Loss and Grief Centre founder Caroline Loo says SBS Bank’s sponsorship has helped the centre restructure and improve its service delivery across the Southland region.

“The support is more than money. SBS is a really active sponsor. The team helped us shift into our new building, for example,” she says. “We are humbled and incredibly grateful for our partnership with SBS Bank. Their ongoing support highlights their commitment to the wellbeing of Southlanders. They embody the words of a Māori proverb: ‘aroha mai, aroha atu’, which means, loved received, love returned.”