New Matariki bank card designs inspired by Silver Ferns

Personalised debit card designs have become so popular with Kiwis, ANZ is celebrating this year’s Matariki with a new collection inspired by the stories of three of the country’s top netballers.

Silver Ferns' Maia Wilson, Tiana Metuarau and Paris Lokotui, worked with Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine and Ngāti Ranginui artist Geoff Popham to develop the eye-catching designs.

“Last year demand for Geoff’s Matariki card designs went wild, with around 2500 of them ending up in customer’s wallets,” says Grant Knuckey, ANZ’s Managing Director of Personal Banking.

“This year we thought we would take it further, get some of our top sportswomen involved, and use it to give them an opportunity to reflect on what Matariki means to them.”

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Over the last few years ANZ has seen growing interest in personalised card designs - applications in 2023 jumped 15% on the previous year, driven in part by interest in Matariki designs.

“People love the customisation idea – that you can express yourself, who you are, and what’s important to you by picking your own image,” says Knuckey, “especially when they discover it costs nothing – it’s free and it’s fun.”

Almost one in twelve of the ANZ’s 1.7 million Visa Debit cards are now MyPhoto cards, adorned with personalised images uploaded by customers or chosen from the bank’s extensive gallery.

The personalised cards - which are printed individually at a secure facility in Auckland - have been available since 2006.

They are especially popular with Millennials aged 25-35 years old, who make up a third of the total MyPhoto card holders.

“While Māori artwork has been popular, we’ve also had a lot of interest in the dragon designs, which we created for the Lunar New Year, and our Pride designs,” says Knuckey.

“We’re a diverse country, and we wanted to reflect that by including designs that mark important cultural dates and events. It’s a great way to help celebrate New Zealand’s cultural diversity."

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"We’re a diverse country, and we wanted to reflect that by including designs that mark important cultural dates and events. It’s a great way to help celebrate New Zealand’s cultural diversity."

Grant Knuckey, ANZ’s Managing Director of Personal Banking.

While gallery images are popular, especially around cultural events, the bank’s data shows that Kiwis prefer to upload their own images.

“There are a lot of images of family members – loved ones and children - and a heap of photogenic pets, especially cute cats and dogs,” says Knuckey.

“But there are also some pretty individual image choices - like one customer who wanted a photo of his favourite tractor.”

Uploaded images are vetted by a specialised team and are subject to certain design, copyright and decency restrictions.