Banking in te reo optional at 650 ANZ ATMs

Four of ANZ's ATMs are decorated with artwork by students at Sylvia Park School's bi-lingual class. Photo / ANZ

All of ANZ's ATMs will now give users the choice of banking in te reo.

The update to New Zealand's largest ATM network, coinciding with the start of Maori Language Week, was marked with ANZ's Queen St being transformed by colourful artwork by students at the bi-lingual unit of Sylvia Park School Te Puna Waiora.

The students were asked to create designs in the theme of "Why te reo is important to them". Each individual design was then compiled and now features on four ATMs in Auckland and Wellington.

Sylvia Park School Principal Barbara Ala'alatoa said working on the ATM design
reinforced the importance of projects linked to cultural identity.

"For kids to be able to change the world, for them to be able to know they've got a place in it, they need to know who they are. Their cultural identity is hugely important to them to be able to stand tall," Ala'alatoa said.

As well as English and te Reo Maori, ATMs are available in simplified Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

Westpac has added te reo Waikato as an option on its ATMs, alongside te reo Maori.

Westpac said the option to use the ATM in te reo Maori was used on average 3300 times a month.

"We're thrilled our ATM technology has allowed us to add more language options and that our partnership with Waikato-Tainui has presented the opportunity to begin adding specific regional dialects," Karen Silk, general manager of commercial, corporate and institutional banking at Westpac, said.

Westpac is talking to other iwi about introducing more language options in the future.