Bank apologises for heated argument over cheque in te reo

Credit Union Central has apologised after video surfaced online of a confrontation between a bank manager and a woman trying to process a withdrawal slip in te reo.

Principal of Te Whata Tau Ō Pūtauaki school Ripeka Lessels posted the video of her conversation with the bank manager of the Whakatane branch of Credit Union to her Facebook account.

"Whanau I don't know why you bank with this bank I'm about to withdraw all mum's [money] today," she said in a comment, adding that "racism is alive and well in Credit Union".

Lessels filmed the exchange on her cell phone and claims other banks, including ASB, Westpac, Kiwibank and BNZ have never refused her bank slips in Te Reo.

"It's been a long time since I've heard such blatant racism," she said.

"If you don't want to bank with us, don't bank with us," the bank manager says in the video.

Credit Union's operations manager Matthew Heke has apologised and admitted the bank manager did not deal with the customer appropriately.

"Most of us know that te reo Māori is an official language and can be used anywhere," Heke told Maori Television, adding that the bank teller "didn't really have a response that we were happy with".