Community news
We’re proud to be part of our community. Over the past 150 years we’ve been giving grassroots support to hundreds of organisations who care for the region like we do.
On this page you’ll find news about the wonderful initiatives and organisations we support, as well as interesting updates from our team.
9 October Supporting families through loss
The WBS Charitable Trust is proud to support Renee Renata and the team at Hōkai Tahi, who provide free baby-loss care packs for whānau experiencing pregnancy losses.
10 September Applications open soon for WBS community grants
Community groups across the Wairarapa are being encouraged to apply for funding when the next WBS Charitable Trust grant round opens on 1 October.
3 September Stress-Free Home Buying with WBS
Buying a home is one of life’s biggest milestones, but it doesn’t have to be stressful.
27 August Dalefield P1 Men Win Wellington Hockey Championship
The Farriers Dalefield P1 Men’s Hockey Team has claimed the 2026 Wellington Hockey Championship, capping off an outstanding season for the Wairarapa-based club.
20 August Local Business Backed by Local Lending
When Carterton Plumbers needed finance for a new vehicle, owner Ben Garrett chose to work with WBS.
30 July New Lifesaving AED for Douglas Villa
A new publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillator (AED) has been installed at Douglas Villa Football Club, helping improve safety for players, supporters and the wider Masterton community.
30 March WBS Charitable Trust funding round opens for April
At WBS, we’re proud that our profits don’t go offshore but rather get invested back into the Wairarapa community.
18 February Proudly supporting the 2026 Golden Shears
We’re extremely proud to once again be sponsoring the Junior Woolhandling category at the annual Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championship.
18 December Latest grant funding results make the headlines
We’re grateful to the Wairarapa Times-Age for showcasing the WBS Charitable Trust’s most recent grant funding results.
1 October Applications for WBS Charitable Trust grants are now open
People looking to apply for funding from the WBS Charitable Trust can do so now for the month of October. This is the second of two funding rounds held by the Trust in 2025.
5 September Celebrating local cricket success
We recently had the pleasure of hosting a few members of the Wairarapa Senior Men’s Cricket Team for afternoon tea, along with outgoing coach Mark Childs.
19 May Lights, Camera, Action – Wairarapa Film Festival Returns!
WBS is thrilled to continue sponsorship of the Wairarapa Film Festival, a true celebration of local storytelling, creativity and community.
30 April Bringing a family together on the stunning Wairarapa coast
Late last year, Masterton local Maaola Samuelu walked into WBS to enquire about our lending rates. Maaola had heard about WBS as the region’s local loans and investment provider.
19 February Supporting a local MMA player to take on the world
WBS has stepped away from some of its more traditional sports sponsorships to support standout local MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter, Charlie McLeod.
20 December WBS and Confirmation of Payee services
From December 2024, a Confirmation of Payee service has been introduced across the New Zealand banking sector. What does this mean for you?
4 December Defying the odds to bring community values to banking
When many were facing a cost-of-living crisis and a chilly winter, the WBS Charitable Trust donated to the Pasifika O Wairarapa Trust to help it get firewood to the most vulnerable.
26 September Grant funding round opens 1 October
The second of the WBS Charitable Trust’s community funding rounds for 2024 opens at the beginning of October. Those wishing to apply for funding for their project or initiative will have six weeks to do so.
12 August Feeling at home with WBS
Many of our members have been with us for quite some time. Over their years with us, we inevitably become friends with those who keep in regular contact. One such investor is Warren Reiri of Masterton.
31 July Achieving a dream of home ownership
When Arna Lackner and Alex Tate started looking for their first home in Masterton, they came across the house of their dreams. But, while they had pre-approval to buy a home, the bank they were dealing with would not extend that approval to cover the dream home. That’s when Arna and Alex came to WBS and that’s when their dream home became a reality.
23 July The perfect new owners for Neighbourhood Coffee
While home owners are our largest client base at WBS, we also lend to many business, commercial and property development clients. Among our many commercial clients is Loni Hansen from Neighbourhood Coffee in Martinborough.