Eleventh-hour petition can’t save Mangonui bank services

Mangonui business owner Fiona White with the petition she organised to try to save Kiwibank Services at the town’s Four Square store

An eleventh-hour petition to save Kiwibank services in Mangonui has failed, with people now having to go to Kaitāia or Paihia to do their banking.

The bank’s Mangonui service, in the town’s Four Square, closed on March 28.

A Kiwibank spokesperson said the owner of the Mangonui Four Square, which provides banking services on behalf of Kiwibank in Doubtless Bay, has decided they are no longer able to offer these banking services.

The owner of the Four Square said it was no longer viable to run the service and so he had decided to give up the agency. And with the closure will come the end of Kiwibank services in Doubtless Bay.

Since the Northland Age broke the story about the closure in early March locals have been working to try to keep the branch open, with Mangonui business owner Fiona White collecting well over 100 signatures on a petition she organised over two days.

The petition called on Four Square owners to keep the Kiwibank service going as a much needed service for the community.

White presented the petition to the owners just ahead of the impending closure, but it did not stop the service ending.

White said she and many others in the town were disappointed that the service - the town’s last banking service - was closing, hence such a strong response to the petition.

“It’s been really handy if you run a business in this town to have that service here. You need it to get change and deposit your takings etc, so to have it close is just devastating.”

The nearest Kiwibank branches to Mangonui are Kaitāia Kiwibank, on Commerce St, or the Paihia Local for Kiwibank on Williams Rd, Paihia for limited services.

White said the closure meant anybody wanting to do banking services in Mangonui would know have to go to Kaitāia instead, which added time and costs of petrol.

“And if you are in Kaitāia to do your banking you might as well do your shopping there at Pak’nSave, which is much cheaper, so I don’t know if closing the service is good for the town or its businesses.”

She said many elderly people in the area did not have internet access, which was patchy in places, so having to go to Kaitāia or Paihia would be a major disruption for them.

“It’s just such a shame and I’m really worried about what our older people are going to do now. Many of them have not used an ATM machine and many feel unsafe using them, but now they will have no choice.”

The Kiwibank spokesperson said the company was not considering replacing the Doubtless Bay Kiwibank agent.

“Based on our customer figures for the area and the way we are seeing our customers choosing to transact. We have other physical services in the wider area.

“Kiwibank is unique in that it is the only bank in New Zealand that partners with retailers across the country to provide our services in more locations. These partner agents are limited to over-the-counter transactions and simple account and card maintenance. Kiwibank works with local agents to provide coverage across Aotearoa, but if a retailer decides it is time to exit the relationship, we respect that.”