As New Zealand heads into peak summer, BNZ has dug up a gem from its 1966 archives - the official correspondence in which sweltering Gisborne staff had to formally request permission to wear shorts to work.  

Approval was granted - but only with ties, knee-high socks, and strict “shoes not sandals” rules.  

Photo credit: BNZ Archive. Mount Roskill branch January 1969

The Gisborne branch manager’s letter, dated 22 February 1966, made his case:  

“With the prevalent high temperatures at Gisborne over the summer months, working conditions become most unpleasant.”  

His solution: dark shorts, calf-length socks, white shirts with rolled sleeves, ties, and black or brown shoes. The manager assured Head Office that “strict control would be exercised to ensure a neat and tidy appearance was maintained.”  

But he didn’t stop there. Sensing Head Office might need convincing, he noted what the competition was doing.  

“All of the other banks in Gisborne allow their staff to wear shorts and one bank allows an open neck shirt, but I do not favour this.”  

To seal the deal, he attached official temperature records for the region - hard evidence that Gisborne summers were too sweltering for full business attire.  

Photo credit: BNZ Archive, Gisborne 1982 

Head Office responded with approval for summer dress “at the manager’s discretion”, with the approval sent to all branches across the country.   

They did however strictly state that "shoes not sandals" were to be worn, shorts should be "of reasonable length" and "not in any way offensive to the public".     

The look proved popular. Archive photos from the late 1960s through to the 1980s show staff across branches, from Mt Roskill to Rotorua to Paihia, still wearing the shorts and tie combination. 

The letter and photos now sit in BNZ’s archives as a snapshot of an era when staying cool at work required creativity rather than air conditioning and modern fabrics.  

Photo credit: BNZ Archive, Paihia Staff 1975 

Photo credit: Rotorua Senior Staff 1976