Cheque cutoff nears

People who use cheques at Foodstuffs supermarkets in the North Island have only days left to do so. The Foodstuffs North Island co-operative, which includes New World, Pak ’n Save and Four Square outlets, will stop accepting cheques on May 1. A spokeswoman said South Island shops would determine their acceptance of cheques on a ‘‘store-by-store’’ basis. Countdown earlier said it would stop taking cheques from May 23. This follows announcements by banks that they will phase out the use of cheques. ANZ and BNZ both plan to phase out their use this year. While only a small proportion of shoppers use cheques for payment, there are concerns that some people could be left vulnerable without them. Rural Women New Zealand is pushing for banks to continue accepting cheques until all rural regions have access to reliable broadband services.