All Blacks exhibition and card

All Blacks exhibition and card

The All Blacks MasterCard giving you experiences money can't buy

A new credit card has been launched in New Zealand. MasterCard International and the New Zealand Rugby Union, in conjunction with Bank of New Zealand, have announced the All Blacks MasterCard.

The card enables New Zealanders to carry the pride and passion they feel for the All Blacks with them everywhere they go, as well as providing an exciting range of rewards and benefits.

This is a first in New Zealand, says Bank of New Zealand Credit Cards Head of Business Development and Strategy, Mike Hartley. Our research identified New Zealanders felt extremely strongly about the All Blacks and the All Blacks MasterCard is a tangible way of showing your pride in the national team as well as getting something for yourself in return, he says.

Every customer whose application is approved before 30 November 2003 will be given an official All Blacks rugby ball as a special welcome to the team. Cardholders will accrue loyalty points every time they use their card, which can be redeemed for All Blacks and other rugby-related rewards, and will receive an exclusive supporters club newsletter every month. Customers will also have the chance to win a special Bledisloe Cup prize package, including corporate hospitality at the game, attending the captain's training run, and having their photo taken with the All Blacks by spending on their card before the end of July.

To mark the launch of the card in this, the 100th year of New Zealand test rugby, a national photo exhibition, Making Their Mark A Celebration of 100 Years of New Zealand Test Rugby will be touring the country.

Curated by one of New Zealand's most respected rugby writers and historians, Ron Palenski, the exhibition contains 100 images of rugby history, from the programme for the first rugby test against Australia in Sydney in 1903, through to Doug Howlett and Springbok fullback Werner Greeff in Durban in 2002 in the match that sealed the Philips Tri-Nations Series.

It will be touring New Zealand with the All Blacks test matches in June and August, visiting Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Christchurch and Dunedin and also with the World Cup training squad which travels to Whangarei, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Nelson and Ashburton in September.

MasterCard International Senior Vice President and General Manager Australasia Leigh Clapham, says the All Blacks MasterCard and the photo exhibition are an excellent way of both recognising and celebrating New Zealanders' passion for rugby and MasterCard's sponsorship of the All Blacks.

As official supplier of payment products to the All Blacks, we can think of no better way of marking our support for the team than the creation of the All Blacks MasterCard, which will provide cardholders with priceless experiences, he says.

New Zealand Rugby Union Chief Executive Officer Chris Moller says the card and the exhibition also serve to celebrate the history of rugby in New Zealand.

Many of the images in the exhibition are from curator Ron Palenski's private collection, and it is fitting that we can share these classic rugby moments with a much wider public in this, our centenary year, he says.

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For more information, please contact: Peter Parussini New Zealand Rugby Union Tel: 04 494 0968 Mobile: 027 484 3230

About the Bank of New Zealand Bank of New Zealand is one of New Zealand's leading financial services providers, dedicated to offering tailored financial solutions to assist customers to achieve their financial goals. Bank of New Zealand has links to banks and financial services companies in 16 countries around the world, through its parent National Australia Bank. More information about Bank of New Zealand is available at www.bnz.co.nz

About MasterCard International MasterCard International has a comprehensive portfolio of well-known, widely accepted payment brands including MasterCard, Cirrus and Maestro. With approximately 25,000 MasterCard, Cirrus and Maestro members worldwide, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses, both large and small, in 210 countries and territories. MasterCard is a leader in quality and innovation, offering a wide range of payment solutions in the virtual and traditional worlds. The MasterCard award-winning Priceless advertising campaign is now seen in 96 countries and in 45 languages, giving the MasterCard brand a truly global reach and scope. For the year ended December 31, 2002, gross dollar volume exceeded US$1.14 trillion. MasterCard can be reached through its website at www.mastercardinternational.com.

NEWS RELEASE EMBARGOED UNTIL 7PM, 30TH MAY 2003

Celebrating 100 years of New Zealand test rugby with the All Blacks MasterCard National photo exhibition to tour New Zealand

New Zealanders will be able to see their rugby heroes both past and present in a new exhibition to tour the country.

The All Blacks MasterCard is sponsoring a national photo exhibition called Making Their Mark A Celebration of 100 Years of New Zealand Test Rugby which will travel through New Zealand with the All Blacks test matches and the World Cup training squad.

The exhibition is curated by Ron Palenski, one of New Zealand's most respected rugby writers and historians, and many of the 100 images come from his private collection.

He says the photos mirror the tradition and excellence of the All Blacks.

They reflect a changing game and also reflect how New Zealand has changed over the same period. Some of the photos are well known, some have never been published before, some show the highpoints of All Black rugby and some the low. It is a snapshot of a heritage.

The exhibition includes classic moments such as George Nepia leading the Invincible All Blacks in their haka before the test against Wales in 1924 to Colin Meads winning yet another lineout ball in 1962 and Jonah Lomu stepping into rugby history as he brushes England's Mike Catt aside.

There are also images such as the programme for the first rugby test played by New Zealand against Australia in 1903 and a San Francisco newspaper report of the All Blacks' visit to California in 1913.

New Zealand Rugby Union Chief Executive Officer Chris Moller says it's especially appropriate to have the exhibition touring in this, the centenary year of New Zealand test rugby.

The images capture the emotion, the spirit and the tradition of the All Blacks and their supporters over the last century, he says.

MasterCard International Senior Vice President and General Manager Australasia Leigh Clapham says having the new All Blacks MasterCard sponsor the exhibition is an excellent way of celebrating New Zealanders' passion for rugby and MasterCard's sponsorship of the All Blacks.

The exhibition shows some of the priceless moments All Blacks have created for New Zealanders. As official supplier of payment products to the All Blacks, we can think of no better way of marking our support for the team than the creation of the All Blacks MasterCard, which will provide cardholders with priceless experiences, he says.

There is also a chance to win a special Bledisloe Cup prize package, including corporate hospitality at the game, attending the captain's training run and having their photo taken with the All Blacks by spending on their card before the end of July.

The card has been developed by MasterCard and the New Zealand Rugby Union in conjunction with the Bank of New Zealand.

Making Their Mark A Celebration of 100 Years of New Zealand Rugby, sponsored by the All Blacks MasterCard, will travel to Wellington, Hamilton, Christchurch, Dunedin and Auckland with the test matches in June and August, and then to Whangarei, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Nelson and Ashburton with the World Cup training squad camps in September.