What are NZ's most reputable companies?

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The other brands in the top 10 are AA Insurance, Kiwibank, Fisher & Paykel, The Warehouse, New World, Countdown and Southern Cross – which is new in the survey and entering the top 20 this year.

Head of Colmar Brunton, Sarah Bolger, said the annual Corporate Reputation Survey was conducted in December 2019 before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however an April read of New Zealanders show the top companies’ reputations are intact.

Wright Communications’ Managing Director Nikki Wright said Colmar Brunton’s polling during the COVID-19 lockdown showed many of the top performing brands were living up to their reputations as trusted leaders in their industries.

“Despite being put under extreme duress by the COVID-19 crisis, brands like Air New Zealand are able to maintain their outstanding reputation with New Zealanders because it they have built a reservoir of trust over a long time and the public perceive it is doing all it can to deal with the crisis responsibly and fairly,” said Wright.

Bolger added that in “COVID-19 language”, corporate reputation acts like an extra layer of immunity. Without a strong reputation, there is potentially a chink in a brand’s armour. Those with lower immunity are more vulnerable when times are tough.

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“New Zealand’s most reputable businesses have so far done well because they have the building blocks of a strong reputation which builds trust. Trust is needed in a time of crisis.”

According to Bolger, said the building blocks of reputation include:

• a strong sense of purpose – these companies know the impact they have on New Zealanders’ lives
• good leadership – they enabled New Zealanders to adopt behaviours that would support the Government’s measures
• fairness and responsibility – they have acted for the good of New Zealand citizens and their employees
•  trust – they have behaved in a way that alleviates public anxiety

Ms Wright said responsibility – both social and environmental – was one reputation pillar that very few companies do well in. “Air New Zealand and Toyota, both of which have a relationship with the Department of Conservation, are exceptions.”

Toyota New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Alistair Davis who is due to speak at the Corporate Reputation online launch event today said he believed the reason Toyota consistently sits in the Colmar Brunton Corporate Reputation top five comes down to three ingredients – culture, purpose beyond profit and delivery.

“A company’s culture is made of thousands of strands, just like a ball of rubber bands. It is this culture that binds a company together – creates a shape, unity, sense of purpose.”