ANZ gets behind New Zealand Olympics team | infonews.co.nz New Zealand News

ANZ today announced it will be Major Sponsor of the New Zealand team for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The three-year sponsorship with the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) was announced at a gala event in Auckland.

“After welcoming the world to New Zealand for Rugby World Cup 2011, ANZ is now taking New Zealand’s best to the world for the London 2012 Olympic Games,” ANZ Chief Executive Officer David Hisco said.

“As Major Sponsor of the New Zealand Olympic Team, we’re proud to support our athletes as they compete in the ultimate sporting event, the Olympic Games.

“We are delighted that our sponsorship will help our New Zealand athletes take on the best in the world and deliver the most successful Olympic campaign New Zealand has ever seen,” he said.

In addition to sponsoring the NZOC for the London 2012 Olympic Games, ANZ will be sponsoring some of the country’s most promising athletes: Rowing Pair Hamish Bond and Eric Murray, Natasha Hansen (Cycling) and Emma Twigg (Rowing). In addition, ANZ will sponsor two top Kiwi athletes - Rebecca Dubber (Swimming) and Cameron Leslie (Swimming) – to the 2012 Paralympic Games. Through the SportConnect foundation, ANZ will also be supporting cyclist Sam Webster.

Starting in June, ANZ will bring a taste of the London 2012 Olympic Games to all New Zealanders with an Olympic tour bus.

The bright blue, London double-decker bus will visit towns throughout the country, with a number of former Olympians, including ANZ Olympic Ambassadors and former Olympic gold medallists Hamish Carter and Sarah Ulmer, for most of the tour.

“It’s an honour to have two New Zealand Olympic legends as ANZ Olympic Ambassadors. They’re looking forward to visiting communities around the country and getting all New Zealanders behind our Olympic team,” Mr Hisco said.

- More Over -

ANZ New Zealand is the country's largest financial institution and one of the nation's largest
companies. Its brands include ANZ Bank, National Bank, UDC Finance, OnePath, EFTPOS
Bonus Bonds, and Direct Broking. Around one in two New Zealanders has a financial
relationship with ANZ New Zealand.

ANZ National Bank Ltd, a subsidiary of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited

Tonight ANZ began its search for New Zealand’s Flag Envoy – a boy or girl who will carry the New Zealand flag to London.

The young envoy will travel to London with their parents and present the flag to the Governor-General and the New Zealand athlete who will carry the flag at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. Nominations for Flag Envoy can be made at www.anz.co.nz/FlagEnvoy

“This will be the opportunity of a lifetime for a young New Zealander to carry the pride and hopes of New Zealand to London, and witness history in the making as our Kiwi athletes take on the world,” Mr Hisco said.

The three-year sponsorship will also cover the 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival, 2014 Commonwealth games, 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games and the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

“As a company that’s been in New Zealand for about 170 years, everyone at ANZ is enormously proud to help our athletes compete for Olympic gold. The sponsorship will highlight the NZ in ANZ,” Mr Hisco said.
ANZ is also the official insurance services provider of the New Zealand Olympic Team.

ANZ OLYMPIC AMBASSADORS

Hamish Bond (left) and Eric Murray
Rowing pair Hamish Bond and Eric Murray are two of New Zealand’s leading medal hopes for the London 2012 Olympic Games. They are the current world champions in the Men’s Rowing Pairs, and have won the world title three consecutive times.

Hamish and Eric have both represented New Zealand at previous Olympic Games. They were both members of the Coxless Four which won the B final at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Since teaming up as a pair in 2009, Bond and Murray have never been beaten in competition, and hopes are high that they can continue New Zealand Rowing’s proud Olympic record this year.

Despite a gruelling training schedule, Eric still manages to spend time with wife Jackie & son Zachary while continuing with a communications degree. Hamish graduated from Massey this year with a Bachelor of Business Studies and a Graduate Diploma.

Hamish and Eric are four times World Champions and have been ‘Halberg Team of the Year’ finalists four times, winning the title twice. The “Kiwipair” were announced as the ‘FISA World Rowing Crew of the Year’ in 2011.

Emma Twigg
Originally from the Hawkes Bay, Emma Twigg is a former Junior and Under 23 World Champion in the Women’s Single Sculls. She was selected for the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the age of 21, finishing third in the B final.

Since then Emma has been a bronze medalist in the 2010 World Championships in front of a home crowd at Lake Karapiro, and again in the 2011 World Championships in Bled, Slovenia. She now lives and trains in the Waikato – where she graduated from the University of Waikato in Public Relations and Communication.

Emma will be looking to continue her improvement in London this year, where she is a real medal hope for New Zealand.

Natasha Hansen Invercargill-based Cantabrian Natasha Hansen won the National Sprint Championships Junior Competition in 2007. Touted as a future international class cycling sprinter, she won a sto train at the UCI's (international cycling body) headquartersin Switzerland in 2008. Natasha returned to New Zealand in 2009 and placed first in the National Sprint Championships Elite Competition in 2010. Athe Track Nationals in 2011 she won four senior titles - breaking two New Zealand records, including her own 200m sprint record. At 22, Natasha is now ranked in the top 10 sprint cyclists for the London Olympics and works full time as an air traffic controller in Invercargill.

Sam Webster
Born in Auckland, Sam burst onto the New Zealand cycling scene in 2007, claiming four national titles and two national records in the Under 17 Age Group.

He was the NZ Flag Bearer at the 2009 Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney, and won silver in the Team Sprint and gold in the Mens sprint with a new Youth Olympic Record.

At the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games Sam won bronze in the Sprint and silver in the Team Sprint. Sam has raced at seven World Cups since entering the Elite men's ranks and recently won a bronze medal in the Team Sprint at the World Championships in Melbourne.

Rebecca Dubber
Nineteen-year-old swimmer Rebecca Dubber is heading to the London 2012 Paralympic Games with gold medals and world records firmly in her sights.

She has already collected an impressive stash of medals and records including the S7 women’s 800m freestyle world record in 2010.

Rebecca was named Paralympics New Zealand Swimmer of the Year in 2009 and she was a finalist in 2011. She has been swimming since a very young age and is driven by a strong desire to push herself to new limits.

Cameron Leslie
Paralympic gold medallist Cameron Leslie is looking to take his swimming to another level. He was a major star for New Zealand at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, taking out the gold medal in the men’s 150m individual medley, while at the same time breaking the previous world record by over a second.

Now aged 22, Cameron is fitter and stronger than ever and he is setting out to break his own world record. Cameron is ready to take on the world’s best once again, and is determined to bring back two more medals.

Sarah Ulmer
Sarah Ulmer became New Zealand’s first Olympic Cycling gold medallist when she won the 3000 metre individual pursuit at Athens in 2004. During her Cycling career she also won two Commonwealth Gold Medals.

Sarah is one of New Zealand’s most recognised Olympians. She was flag bearer for the New Zealand team at the opening ceremony for the Athens Olympic Games and was a mentor to the New Zealand Olympic team at the 2008 Games in Beijing. She has twice been awarded the Lonsdale Cup for the most outstanding contribution to an Olympic or Commonwealth Games sport.

Sarah is now a mother of two and has her own business SUB (Sarah Ulmer Brand). Sarah’s goal is to help women be healthy and active through cycling.

Hamish Carter
Hamish Carter is one of New Zealand’s best known Triathletes and Olympians, winning gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics - his second Olympic Games. Hamish raced the International Triathlon Union World Cup circuit as a professional for many years and ranked no 1 Triathlete in the world from 1997 - 2000. During his career he placed on the podium 28 times, including bronze at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, silver in the Lausanne World Championships in 2006, and a win at the Xterra World Champs in Hawaii in 2006 - defeating a field of more experienced off-road triathletes. Hamish retired in 2007 and now sits on the High Performance Sport Board and The Triathlon World Championship Auckland Board. He also runs a programme called SportConnect – a unique partnership with SKY Television that aims to help New Zealand’s young athletes succeed on the world stage.