Z calls on local charities and community groups to apply for a share of $1 million

Z Energy (Z) is calling on local charities and community groups to get in quick and apply to its Good in the Hood programme, for the potential to receive a share of the $1 million Z has allocated towards community donations this year.

As part of Good in the Hood, each of Z’s 189 stations across Aotearoa New Zealand will give away a total of $5,000. From the applications, each Z station chooses four charities, neighbourhood groups, or projects to participate, with $4,000 distributed amongst those groups based on community voting. Customers who shop in store are provided an orange token to pop in one of four boxes, voting for their favourite local group. The money is split between the four groups based on the number of votes each receives.

A further $1,000 for each Z station is earmarked to support community events and initiatives throughout the year as they see fit.

This year, Z will reach a significant $10 million milestone in contributions to community groups and charities, helping hundreds throughout Aotearoa since 2011. This has largely been achieved through Z’s annual Good in the Hood programme.

Z GM of Retail, Andy Baird says that Good in the Hood empowers Kiwis to engage with initiatives in their communities and choose where additional support goes in their town. 

"The spirit of Good in the Hood is to share Z’s community support with the people living in those communities - to give people a choice about where the money goes," he says.

Extra focus will this year be given to regions hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle, bolstering its community support provided earlier in the year.

"We’ve already given more than $140,000 to cyclone- and flood-affected communities so far this year, with $70,000 going to the Northland/Auckland flooding, $50,000 to small community groups affected by Cyclone Gabrielle around the Northland, Tairāwhiti Gisborne, and Hawke’s Bay regions, plus donations to the Red Cross and Bike for Blokes," says Andy.

"It’s immensely satisfying to be able to confirm another million dollars in support across the country, including providing additional funding for Z service stations in some of the harder-hit communities."

Andy encourages community groups and local charities to apply for the 2023 round of Good in the Hood funding as soon as possible, with applications closing at the end of July before the in-store voting period commences in September 2023.

"Z and its retailers care deeply about our communities, and for us Good in the Hood is a reinforcement of our pledge that Z is for New Zealand. Focusing on smaller community groups gives us the opportunity to support organisations which may find it more difficult to access funds compared to larger charities or groups who have existing relationships with donors."

"For anyone who has considered making an application for funding in the past, now is the time to get your application in."

Good in the Hood was initially created in response to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and Z ran several similar community giving programmes before Good in the Hood officially commenced in 2013.

"We looked at ways to best support the Christchurch community in the wake of the disaster and decide to leverage the knowledge of our local retailers and their communities to ensure funds were going where they were needed," says Andy.

The $10 million milestone represents Z’s long-term commitment to helping Kiwi’s and what matters most to them.