Tucked at the back of a drawer or hidden in the depths of some
box in the attic or in an old birthday card from grandma.
I
got them when I was about seven or eight years old.
I can't
even remember what I've done with them to be perfectly
honest.
Could be a small Bonus Bonds fortune waiting to be
claimed.
Well, fortune might be overstating it a bit.
The big
prize is $10,000 but just what are your chances of getting the big
money.
Introduced in 1970 by the government, Bonus Bonds
became something of an institution.
They were very
popular.
I think at one point, there was reportedly, you know,
a million kiwis that might have had Bonus Bonds.
Your chances of
winning the major prize are 10.98 million to one.
The entities
that issued bonus bonds were seen as very safe, credible
organizations which they were so maybe people felt that their
money was safe and I guess the appeal of you know being one of
those lucky ones that did win a substantial sum maybe it
appealed to sort of our our speculative side.
Yes part
lottery part investment to be honest not a great one for
most.
I'm being polite here they were less than perfect.
As
an investment for poor old investors while they felt they
were in something quite safe and the the money was secure
which it was they got a very very poor return.
Four or five
years nothing.
Not even a dollar.
Never won any money.
When I
first got them yes I did do okay with them.
But so many
people bought bonus Bonus Bonds years later.
It was such a big
draw.
I felt it's a waste of time.
Then nearly two years ago
ANZ which has been running Bonus Bonds since 1990 decided
the scheme had run its course and they started the process of
reuniting punters with their cash.
In fact more than just
cash a dollar ten for every dollar invested.
Since then
more than 300,000 people have redeemed their bonds - 91% of
the total fund.
But get this, there's still 76 million
unclaimed dollars sitting there.
That's right.
76 million
waiting for a home.
Could some of it be yours?
Heck, could some
of it be mine?
So I have a vague memory of being given
some Bonus Bonds by my nana, would have been in the
eighties.
Now, I might be mistaken but it's worth a
shot.
Nearly two thirds of people had less than $50 in the
scheme.
So, it's not going to pay off the mortgage but still
cash is cash, right?
Oh, hi, I'm just ringing about Bonus
Bonds.
If you have unclaimed bonds, you'll need to call the
your money.
You don't even need
the actual scrap of paper but it's useful if you can find it.
If you don't have it, any info you can remember like your address
at the time you received it or what name you went under at the
time will be useful.
Any unclaimed winnings will be
included in your balance so you'll get that too.
For me
though...
No, that's fine.
It was worth a shot.
Thanks so much.
Cheers.
Bye.
Nothing.
What's the number?
Okay.
The number again:
0800 266 374 but please please please
don't panic and run the poor people manning the phones off
their feet.
They're very keen to hear from you but you have
plenty of time Hadyn.
Yeah Hadyn Jones.
Okay there's no
date for when the scheme will finish wrapping up.
14 million.
I'm out of here.
Carry on.
Even then when it has wrapped up
your money will still be around for you to claim in a very
special little place where unclaimed money goes.
Picture this tucked away in the back of a government building
in Central Wellington a special vault where all unclaimed money
from things like trusts that have been wound up, old
insurance policies or unused bank accounts waits to be
collected.
Well sadly this is nothing like that it's an IRD
website actually much easier to find and to open though and all
you need is your name.
Pop it in and it'll tell you if there's
uncollected money for you.
You'll have to do a bit more
work to prove it's yours, but who knows what might be hidden
away in this digital vault.