ANZ Bank's Te Puke branch to close next month

Te Puke's ANZ branch is to close on March 18.

ANZ is to close its Te Puke branch on March 18.

ANZ's external communications manager Kristy Martin said it was a difficult decision made after consultation with staff.

''Like the majority of branch closures, this followed a decline in in-branch transactions which is a trend we're seeing nationally and across the globe.

''More Kiwis are banking digitally or by calling our contact centre, rather than coming into the branch. We expect this trend to continue,'' she said.

''We are currently working through options with our staff. We are also writing to our customers to inform them of this closure.''

Te Puke Economic Development Group (EDG) managing director Mark Boyle said news of the closure is disappointing.

''In view of the fact that Te Puke is an economic hub and we're a key economic driver in the Bay of Plenty, one would think that a trading bank would be stationed here rather than a larger population area.''

He said the closure would also impact on seasonal workers ''whether they are backpackers or RSEs because [the bank's] services are needed by those people''.

Mark said there was a general feeling that the specific circumstances that related to Te Puke had not been taken into account and Te Puke EDG had made its views know to ANZ.

Te Puke Community Board chairman Richard Crawford said the changing face of banking was starting to hit home in Te Puke.

He said the closure would hit those who use cash but don't have bank cards and those who don't have access to the internet.

''Because of the nature of our town we are going to see those people affected until they can make the change.

''For a lot of us who are in business and who are able to do digital, our relationship with the bank has been long gone anyway, but there's an awful lot of the most vulnerable people who still rely on that system at the moment.''

Western Bay mayor Garry Webber said he was disappointed for the district's smaller communities - not just Te Puke - that are starting to lose services.

''It's disappointing for those who rely on those services that organisations such as ANZ don't provide an alternative to those who are not technologically capable of using the new services.''

He said it wasn't just the elderly who would be affected by the branch closure, but also others who are disadvantaged.

''For those who can't afford a phone, it's too expensive to go to a payphone in the centre of town and do these sorts of things because inevitably you are put on hold.

''It's sad that organisations are not putting alternatives in to make it easy for those who can't use what is their preferred option.''

Garry said the trust element of dealing with someone face to face would also be lost.

The nearest ANZ branch to Te Puke is in Pāpāmoa. Te Puke's Kiwibank branch was closed in October 2019.