350 Aotearoa organiser Neve Hopman says: "ANZ spends millions on slick, heartwarming commercials to try protect its brand - but New Zealanders are not buying it. Less than 48 hours after a new report found ANZ is continuing to back fossil fuel companies, we handed over our petition to ANZ calling on them to pull the plug on dirty coal expansion.”

“Right now, [majority] Australian-owned coal company Bathurst Resources is trying to open the biggest coal pit in our country's history, right on top of the pristine Denniston Plateau. Not only would the mine proposal destroy large areas of kiwi habitat - it would also spew climate pollution equivalent to New Zealand’s entire annual emissions. Just like other banks have done, ANZ has the opportunity to stop this coal monster by withdrawing banking services from coal expansion companies like Bathurst.”

"Frankly, it is outrageous that ANZ remains a top financier of fossil fuel expansion at a time when scientists and energy experts are clear that we cannot afford a single new coal, oil, or gas project. Enabling fossil fuels isn't just numbers on a balance sheet—it has real-world consequences right here in Aotearoa and across the world.

Hopman says "ANZ's financing of climate chaos usually happens behind closed doors. We brought a full TV setup to the street because when you project the destruction of the Denniston Plateau in high-definition on a Wellington sidewalk, it becomes impossible for the bank to ignore."

“We didn’t just show scenes of destruction - we also showcased how and why ANZ can make the right decision, and turn away from dirty coal. It’s not too late for ANZ to make the right choice, and turn its back on dodgy, exposed fossil fuel companies that are on the way out.”

"Our collective efforts have successfully shifted the climate policies of other major banks, and we know ANZ is deeply concerned about its public image. Today, we put their climate record under renewed scrutiny and demanded they drop coal expansion companies like Bathurst by 2030."

The snap action, organised by grassroots climate organisation 350 Aotearoa, comes on the heels of the newly released global Banking on Climate Chaos report. The report exposes the world’s worst fossil fuel financiers and confirms that ANZ continues to bankroll companies driving fossil fuel expansion.