Pah¯ıatua about to lose BNZ

After 130 years, Pahı¯atua’s Bank of New Zealand branch is leaving town.

When the BNZ branch closes in two weeks, Westpac will be the town’s only full-service bank, frustrating residents.

ANZ closed its branch in December, and Westpac removed its ATM from the town’s Main St in May.

Pahı¯atua-based district councillor Shirley Hull said the closure was particularly disappointing since the BNZ was an important institution in the town’s history.

The BNZ first opened in Pahı¯atua in 1889, only eight years after the town was founded. The branch was built on land bought from Pahı¯atua’s founder W W Mccardle for £100.

The BNZ building, topped by a distinctive dome, was a Main St landmark until it was demolished in 1975, and the branch moved down the street where it remained until now.

Hull said the town had been hit by two bank closures in quick succession, and people were growing frustrated. ‘‘Folk who transferred accounts to BNZ when ANZ shut will be feeling slighted.’’

Hull said she understood the branches were closed because they weren’t used enough, and people had switched to online banking.

But limited opening hours were also a big factor, she said.

BNZ retail regional manager Ange Mchardy said the reality was it wasn’t practical to keep the branch open after in-person transactions fell significantly during the past couple of years.

Almost 90 per cent of BNZ customers do the bulk of their banking online. The bank would support the community with its Main St ATM, she said.

Mchardy said the bank’s two staff had been offered transfers to another BNZ branch.