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Survey shows no flies on New Zealand Post, but plenty on Telecom

The numbers have been crunched, the Kiwis have been canvassed and the companies that consumers believe are the best—and worst—have been announced, with New Zealand Post coming out on top and Telecom bringing up the rear.

The 2010 Corporate Reputation Index, which was conducted in New Zealand for the first time this year, measured how New Zealanders aged 18-64 scored the country’s 20 largest employers, giving them an overall ranking using seven criteria: products, innovation, workplace, citizenship, governance, leadership and financial performance.

Produced by research consultancy AMR Interactive, the Australasian associate of the worldwide Reputation Institute, the study follows the same methodology that is used in 32 other countries around the world.

AMR’s reputation practice director and general manager, Oliver Freedman, says New Zealand Post’s high performance across all criteria resulted in it achieving the overall top ranking, beating Air New Zealand, Farmers, Progressive Enterprises and Fonterra. Telecom New Zealand rated far below any other company in the independent study.

“Although NZ Post did not receive top ranking in any of the individual areas, it was ranked within the top three for all seven, unlike any other company in the study,” he says. “It shows NZ Post’s consistent service in difficult economic times has clearly had a strong impact on how the company is regarded among the New Zealand public.”

At the opposite end of the spectrum was Telecom: its overall score was lower than any of the 60 companies measured in the equivalent Australian index.

Air New Zealand ranks second overall, topping the poll in terms of products, innovation and workplace. The Warehouse ranks first in the remaining other four areas (financial performance, leadership, citizenship and governance) and second for its innovation, but drops to fourth overall due to only ranking 13th in terms of its products. Farmers is ranked third overall, with its workplace, governance and products all rating highly.

Also of note is the high ranking of banks in New Zealand, particularly given the global financial crisis.

“ASB and Bank of New Zealand rank 3rd and 4th for their citizenship and 7th and 9th overall,” says Steve Grbic, managing director of Core Communications, the Reputation Institute’s New Zealand communications associate. “This differs from results in Australia and around the world where banks generally struggle to be perceived positively, particularly in the area of citizenship. It shows how established, strong reputations can help protect organisations in a challenging time.”

Earlier this week NZ Post confirmed a net profit after tax of $NZ1.3 million for the financial year to the end of June. While first overall on the Corporate Reputation Index, the company ranks second for its financial performance, products, workplace, citizenship and governance and third in the areas of leadership and innovation.

A breakfast seminar takes place on Tuesday, 21 September, where businesses will have the opportunity to learn more about their rankings and improving company reputation.

Notable findings / comparisons with Australia:

  • New Zealand Post has a higher rating than that received by Australia Post in Australia
  • Air New Zealand rates higher than Qantas does in Australia
  • The Warehouse ranks first in terms of leadership, performance and governance (being honest, open and transparent) but only 13th in terms of products. Internationally, this is one of the first examples of a company that has managed to establish a good reputation without a strong foundation of positive product perceptions
  • ASB’s score is also higher than any of Australia’s major banks (in Australia) – NAB, Westpac, ANZ, CBA) and on par with Australia’s number one ranked bank – ING Direct
  • ANZ Bank in Australia is on par with ANZ in Australia. Westpac is rated slightly higher in New Zealand as is Bank of New Zealand
  • McDonald’s has a much stronger reputation than Burger King – this is mainly based on more positive perceptions of its Innovation, Workplace, Citizenship, Governance and Financial Performance
  • SkyCity is rated more positively in New Zealand than Crown in Australia

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