Our involvement in Tonga

In 1973, Westpac, then known as the Bank of New South Wales, joined the Bank of Hawaii, the Bank of New Zealand and the government of Tonga in setting up the Bank of Tonga, which opened in Nuku'alofa on 1 July 1974. Now known at the Westpac Bank of Tonga, our employees have since been actively involved in the community in partnerships with various organisations.

In recent times, Westpac has been involved in a variety of sponsorships and community-based initiatives. These include:

• Financial Management workshop
• Financial First Steps workshop
• Women in Business Financial Management workshop
• The Westpac Senior Students Study Assistance Program
• Coastal Clean up – Ha’apai Group
• Rotary – Children Fun Fair
• World Environment Day – Clean up
• Tonga International Billfish Tournament
• Tonga Disabled Centre - regular upkeep and household supplies donated by employees
• The ATM at Vaiola Hospital where proceeds from the ATM is shared with the hospital.

Our strategy for getting involved in the community is simple. We embed community involvement into our business model, so that in effect, it becomes part of our organisational culture - the way we do things.

For Westpac, sustainability means identifying and responding to issues that matter to the future of our customers, our community and our business. 

Staff at the main island of Tongatapu chose the Tonga Red Cross, the Tonga Side School and Vaiola Hospital to spend their community volunteer days.  Staff worked in groups from all parts of the Bank and rolled up their sleeves and provided hands-on help at the Vaiola Hospital cleaning their kitchen, storage and office areas. Employees also took the opportunity to talk to and provide company to patients as they delivered their meals.

At the Tonga Red Cross compound they did a major clean up of the compound following the devastation from cyclone Rene.

The team's outreach program includes the delivery of clothes and food items to the Youth Reformation Centre at Ngele’ia where elderly, youth and some disabled people reside. 

In support of the World Environment Day Clean-up, Westpac is the main sponsor and Westpac employees joined in the clean-up of our designated area - from Nuku’alofa branch to the main bus stop. The sponsorship assisted in covering the cost of rubbish bags and gloves and the cost of a truck to take away the rubbish.

Westpac Bank of Tonga recently donated two refurbished PCs to the Langafonua ‘a Fafine Tonga (Tonga Council of Women) as part of their upgrade to the Centre’s main office and handicraft shop facilities.

Westpac Bank of Tonga supported the Heart Team’s visit where they carried out operations at the Vaiola Hospital.  The support was by way of providing accommodation and a bank vehicle as well as hosting a BBQ.

We also have 2 Financial Literacy program available, first is the recently launched Women in Business Financial Management Workshop aimed at small to medium business owners or key managers within a business and provide training and tools to help start and grow a business. 

The second is a Financial First Steps workshop and its aim is to teach basic money management and budgeting skills in a workshop environment.  The workshop was recently delivered to the Seasonal Workers who went to Australia.

We are also members of or signatories to a number of multi-stakeholder and international organisations and agreements dedicated to raising corporate responsibility performance.