Tararua council concerned about impact of banking changes

Dannevirke's ANZ Bank reduced its operating hours last April in line with banks around the country that are providing a reduced service or shutting their doors permanently.

Tararua District councillors were unanimous in their support for forming a working party to look at the issue of cheques being withdrawn by banks.

At Wednesday's council meeting, mayor Tracey Collis introduced the subject of facing the future without cheques and the effect this would have on the community and in particular businesses, the elderly and those without access to online banking.

Cr Sharon Wards said some members of the business community were concerned at their ability to obtain petty cash.

"I think we should see if there is potential here for us to advocate for the community, as this community will be hugely affected."

Collis said rural mayors were very concerned at the loss of cheques and were working together on the issue.

She said she had also had several conversations with business owners.

"We absolutely can advocate on this. Banking is changing at a rate of knots and we hadn't expected the changes to happen so fast."

Collis said a banking hub had been established in Martinborough and that was working well.

Cr Shirley Hull asked if banks were providing any education around alternatives to using cheques.

Collis said from her experience, the extent of educating people was to escort them to an ATM and show them what to do.

Cr Alison Franklin, who is a business owner, said the biggest issue was obtaining change.

"You have to arrange for change 24 hours in advance then pick it up from a bank in Dannevirke or Palmerston North at a designated time.

"If you need to use another bank other than your regular one you are charged $15, even if you only want $30 change."

Franklin said when she spoke to staff at a bank about the difficulty in obtaining change she was told to simply not accept cash.

"This issue is a real challenge and it is going to impact on rural New Zealand."

Cr Peter Johns said there was a need for representations to be made to central government.

"There's perhaps a 10-year window of the age group who don't have a computer. It means when they need to pay their rates, which could be up to $1200, they have to take the money out of the hole in the wall and carry it around with them and that becomes a safety issue."

Johns said he helped a number of Woodville residents to pay their accounts online.

"Certainly for older people this is a real problem."

Collis called for a show of hands from councillors prepared to help set up a working party to look at the problems caused by no cheques - and the councillors all indicated they were prepared to form such a group.

Currently, Dannevirke's ANZ bank is only open on Thursdays and Fridays from 9am to 4.30pm, Westpac is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am to 1pm, BNZ is open Monday to Friday from 0am to 3pm and the NZCU Baywide closed permanently last year.