February 24, 2011

Deutsche Bank today announced it has pledged NZ$250,000 to support victims in earthquake-affected Christchurch and the surrounding regions in New Zealand. This is in addition to the NZ$100,000 donated by Deutsche Bank after the September 2010 earthquake.

Deutsche Bank Chairman Australia and New Zealand John Macfarlane said, “As a Cantabrian myself, I know it will take a long time for the community to recover and the city will never be the same again.

“On behalf of Deutsche Bank, I extend my sympathy to the people of Christchurch as the city deals with the aftermath of this week’s devastating earthquake.”

Deutsche Bank will also match personal donations made by Australian and New Zealand employees to earthquake appeals and is working with the appropriate organisations to determine the most suitable way for its pledge to be delivered.

Brett Shepherd, Deutsche Bank Chief Executive Officer New Zealand, said, “We are shocked and deeply saddened that a second devastating earthquake has struck in less than six months.

“Our thoughts and sympathy are with those people who have lost family, friends or colleagues and whose lives have been permanently affected.”

Deutsche Bank Australia and New Zealand have followed a phased approach to disaster relief for some time now. Contributions to emergency appeals are made by matching employees’ personal donations.  Next the bank works closely with local organisations to identify an appropriate project to make a donation so that it offers long-term, sustainable benefits to the affected communities. Experience shows that once the initial devastation has been dealt with and media headlines have slowed, there’s still a real need to support the local communities and it helps to wait to identify specific initiatives.

After last September’s earthquake in Christchurch, Deutsche Bank made a NZ$100,000 donation to the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Southern Opera, two important cultural organisations in the Christchurch community. The donation directly enabled a music education program for local primary school children badly affected by the earthquake, provided much needed financial support to ensure the orchestra and opera’s viability as direct contributors to the cultural well-being of Christchurch community and also enabled Deutsche Bank to link two major global CSR commitments – education and art – in a practical manner for the wider Christchurch community.

More information about Deutsche Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives around the world is available at www.db.com/csr.

Cancel 5000 Your comment has more than 5000 characters. Please delete part of it before submitting. Enter comment text.