Saturday, March 30, 2024

Bank closures sharply felt

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Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) says rural bank closures will cause deeper inequality between rural and urban communities.
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Kiwibank is closing seven branches, five with direct impact on rural communities.

“RWNZ hopes that Kiwibank might use the agency model with other businesses to ensure that banking services continue to be offered in rural centres,” National President, Gill Naylor says.

“While we appreciate the need to streamline businesses and one solution is the agency model, there needs to be continued support for people to transact their daily lives in dignity.

“An agency model needs to provide spaces for private, complex discussions – it is not acceptable for people to be discussing their personal banking requirements with staff, while standing in a line of others who just want to pay a bill.

“RWNZ believes that rural communities need services close to where they live – this is particularly important for those where distance and lack of internet connectivity are more sharply felt.

“We would like to see rural proofing carried out before decisions are made to remove or reduce services, this will ensure that rural communities do not continue to miss out,” Naylor says.

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