New Zealand

Methanex New Zealand's commitment to Social Responsibility is reflected in its social investment within the Taranaki area. The main sponsorships currently within our portfolio include:

• The Taranaki Rescue Helicopter (shown on this page).
• Methanex Maths Spectacular - an annual competition and exhibition of math projects that showcase the diversity of arithmetic through projects and artwork developed by children throughout Taranaki.
• Methanex Disabled Games - an annual event held in conjunction with Parafed enables athletes from throughout the North Island to meet and compete in competitions such as lawn bowls.
• Scholarships - Methanex offers a range of scholarships for local high school students going on to tertiary education.
• Duffy Books in Homes - a national initiative run in conjunction with primary schools to increase literacy skills of children. Methanex funds the Waitara intermediate school's participation in the program.
• Healthy Thinking Program - Methanex funded the inaugural launch of the program at Waitara High School - the first school within the country to introduce the program to students.

In addition to sponsorships, Methanex staff are active in the local community and are involved in beach clean ups, riparian plantings to improve water quality in rivers, and other environmental and social projects. A volunteer committee of employees oversees funding to smaller community organizations and organizes employee volunteer events and donation drives.

To support employees in taking time out to get involved in the community, Methanex New Zealand provides each employee with an annual "Charity Day". This provides employees with a paid day to contribute their services to a charitable organization.

Community Advisory Panel (CAP)

Methanex New Zealand formed its CAP in 1996. It has 11 local members from a wide variety of backgrounds including a representative of indigenous people (tangata whenua), a local farmer, a housewife, a student and a business person.

The CAP meets at least four times a year and is involved in every aspect of Methanex' business - from health and safety to finance and gas issues. The CAP chairs its own meetings and Methanex representatives attend by invitation. The CAP has brought Methanex even closer to the Taranaki community and in turn, the community has a well established mechanism for direct interaction with Methanex.

China

Methanex’s office in Hong Kong administers Social Responsibility programs for all of the company’s Asia Pacific Marketing and Logistics offices.  In 2008 the company demonstrated its commitment to defining its social responsibility strategy in Asia Pacific through an array of programs, including:

• Initiating a scholarship program comprised of nine scholarships at TaiyuAn University of Technology.
• Becoming a founding signatory member of the Association of International Chemical Manufacturers (AICM) Responsible Care Manifesto. AICM signatory members commit to operating their businesses safely, openly and in an eco-friendly manner, and to sharing information with stakeholders ranging from local communities to authorities, government and media.
• Launching a university recruitment program for summer internships at Methanex which will be further developed in 2009.