NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business / Companies / Banking and finance

Making banking a beach

Anne Gibson
By Anne Gibson
Property Editor·NZ Herald·
23 Oct, 2012 04:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The beach theme of the Queen St branch matches the location on the old foreshore. Photo / Steven McNicholl

The beach theme of the Queen St branch matches the location on the old foreshore. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Westpac's seaside revamp in Queen St one of 50 refits to localise appearance.

Entering Westpac's new flagship Queen St store feels like you've just stepped off the beach to do some banking: a cut-down 1970s caravan has been transformed into a cafe in front of Waiheke Island's Oneroa, the central isle flooring resembles a wharf, and meeting rooms are named after waterside suburbs.

The bank's biggest, most profitable branch in New Zealand features deck chairs replacing standard office issue, customers can "meet" in Mechanics Bay, Narrow Neck or Stanley Point, flowering pohutukawa decorate the walls, furniture has cheerful, awning-style red and white stripes, and business customer Jucy Rentals features in the window display.

The 550sq m branch at 79 Queen St has undergone a three-month renovation, which executives admitted was initially scheduled to take nine weeks, but yesterday curious visitors stepped into the unusual store with its bright corporate livery.

The ceiling decor has taken on a wave-like movement, sporting transparent, bubble-like glass lamp shades, cresting towards the back in a circular feature where more than 3000 flying Ws hang like seagulls above a casual seating hub.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"There are 208 white Ws to represent each of our branches," Ian Han-kins, northern region head of retail, said of the ceiling installation.

Some experts predict bank branches will go the way of the dinosaur but Hankins said the Queen St store disproved them: "The branch is not dying. About 80,000 people walk in our doors every day."

A powhiri is scheduled for 6.30am today near the end of Fort St in Auckland's designer fashion zone, opposite Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

Gai McGrath, head of retail banking, said the beach theme was appropriate to the area and many other branches would be refurbished.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"All our locations will be tailored to reflect the locality they are in. For Queen St, it's about the foreshore that used to be on the doorstep of the branch. Queen St is at the forefront of what is happening internationally in retail banking," she said.

Context Architects designed the interior, which offers customers free wi-fi with iPads and tablets and smart ATMs on the street with large cash-drop boxes for business banking. A 52,000-piece Lego model of a Westpac Rescue Helicopter is the centrepiece of the branch makeover.

Hankins said about 50 larger branches - 30 in the North Island - were being refurbished: Dargarville's Westpac already had an agricultural theme, Epsom had gone multi-cultural and Highbrook at East Tamaki would soon take on an industrial look to reflect the office park.

Andrew Tasker, Westpac project manager, said each outlet would take on a different theme.

Discover more

Opinion

Derek Bonnar: Don't be shy for a better deal at bank

14 Oct 04:30 PM
Banking and finance

Banks slam FMA KiwiSaver selling advice

16 Oct 04:30 PM
Business

Possum gloves go global

23 Oct 04:30 PM

"The key is to localise the fitouts," he said.

Hankins said changes were within existing budgets but would not say how much was being spent.

Interest.co.nz reported this week on how the BNZ was looking to retailers like Michael Hill International and American clothing group Gap for tips on how to improve its branches, or stores as they're called within the bank.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Banking and finance

Banking and finance

Rishi Sunak returns to Wall Street bank he joined as intern

09 Jul 12:07 AM
Premium
Companies|banking and finance

NZ’s largest taxpayers revealed - does big business play fair?

01 Jul 05:00 PM
Banking and finance

Watercare secures $3.4b debt facility, largest for NZ corporate

30 Jun 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Banking and finance

Rishi Sunak returns to Wall Street bank he joined as intern

Rishi Sunak returns to Wall Street bank he joined as intern

09 Jul 12:07 AM

His pay will go to his charity, the Richmond Project.

Premium
NZ’s largest taxpayers revealed - does big business play fair?

NZ’s largest taxpayers revealed - does big business play fair?

01 Jul 05:00 PM
Watercare secures $3.4b debt facility, largest for NZ corporate

Watercare secures $3.4b debt facility, largest for NZ corporate

30 Jun 05:00 PM
Big Reserve Bank scheme to protect Kiwis' savings launching

Big Reserve Bank scheme to protect Kiwis' savings launching

29 Jun 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP