New Zealand's longest-running insurance company, NZI, has recently signed on to continue its support of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) and its efforts to help businesses succeed through sustainability for a further three years.

NZI has been a foundation sponsor of the SBN for the past three years and has demonstrated both its own genuine commitment to sustainability as well as its belief in SBN's effectiveness.  SBN's nationwide membership of 550-plus businesses stand to benefit from NZI's continued support since it will contribute towards further development of tools and services designed specifically to nurture sustainable business initiatives.

Finding a long-standing partner in SBN's line of work can be challenging and Rachel Brown, CEO of the Sustainable Business Network, is delighted to see this successful relationship continue.

"We're a great fit.  The team at NZI are a passionate and committed bunch led by a very strong sustainability leader in Karl Armstrong - they're willing to lead and just as keen to influence others through their own practices. They've developed, and continue to develop, new ways of reducing their customers' impact on sustainability," says Brown.

Karl Armstrong, General Manager of NZI, is pleased to continue supporting SBN.

"In line with our own focus on business sustainability, NZI is proud to continue supporting the Sustainable Business Network as a foundation partner.  We support their values and their actions in assisting other New Zealand businesses to become sustainable because we recognise that it's our collective responsibility to improve the world in which we live," says Armstrong.

NZI believes that business sustainability is about running a successful business - it's not an add-on or a programme that runs alongside a business or something that's discretionary in difficult times.  At NZI the belief is that it's the intended outcome of a successful business strategy.  Long-term sustainability requires financial viability, a strong and loyal customer base, appropriately skilled and engaged employees, and an active commitment to support the communities and environments in which a business operates.

NZI is also the principal sponsor of the 2011 NZI National Sustainable Business Network Awards, the most respected and longest-running awards of this type in New Zealand.  This year's event will take place on 8 November in Auckland.  All regional awards winners, announced during September and October, progress onto the NZI National SBN Awards as finalists.  SBN is now calling for entries to three separate National Awards categories: Sustainable Design and Innovation; Sustainability Champion; and Social Innovation.

"NZI has helped us make sustainability advice and support available to our members and through the NZI National SBN Awards partnership they've allowed us to showcase countless successful sustainable businesses.  We're looking forward to yet another successful Awards in 2011,' says Brown.