An angry community reaction follows ASB’s announcement it’s closing the Helensville bank on July 17, leaving one bank in the township.
Kiwibank, based in the Helensville PostShop, will be the sole remaining bank there.
This after the Helensville community fought hard to get a bank back after all banks in the town closed in the mid to late 1990s. The ASB opened there in November 1998 after heeding their pleas.
Its decision to close comes after a decline in customers using the branch due to growth in online banking, ASB branch banking general manager Logan Munro says.
"Customers are increasingly using a range of digital banking channels to fulfill their everyday banking needs," Munro says.
"It’s natural given these changes in demand and customer behaviours that the nature and location of branch banking services we offer will evolve over time.
"All customers are being advised of this change and will be transferred to the Westgate branch, which has full banking facilities available six days a week along with drive-through banking," he says.
The announcement has been met with disbelief by residents and businesses alike, North West District Business Association manager Gary Holmes says.
Many will now face up to an hour return trip to Albany or Westgate every day to do their banking, something that a number of business owner-operators in the town won’t be able to do, he says.
The remaining Kiwibank, which has two operating tellers six days a week, has reported a jump in inquiries from businesses and residents.
"We have also had a number of people open personal accounts with us this week after the announcement," manager Manu Patel says.
"We are anxious to help people around here. We have worked in the PostShop for 14 years and want to make sure people are taken care of."
While Kiwibank provides some relief, Holmes says it won’t be the same as having a fully operational bank service.
"They do offer a great service but it is part of a post office, it’s not what you normally want in a banking environment. Businesses need a full service and ability to sit down with account managers and talk about their business," he says.
"Many businesses do not even have eftpos facilities due to the setup cost. Cash transactions are a big part of everyday life for many of our businesses."
Holmes says that while he can appreciate the reason given by the bank for the closure being declining transactions due to the increase in online and mobile banking, he is critical of the short notice about the move given by the bank.
"One month is not a lot of time for businesses to find alternative options for cash handling and potentially setting up new bank accounts with alternative institutions."
ASB customer Dennis Cummings says he’ll transfer to another bank the day the ASB closes in Helensville.
Cummings helped lead the Lions Club of Helensville’s campaign to restore banking facilities in Helensville when the BNZ and ANZ closed there within a short period of each other in the mid to late 1990s.
As the officer in charge of Helensville police at the time, Cummings was concerned for the safety of business people keeping money on their premises until they could get to a banking facility, usually about 20 to 30 minutes away in Kumeu or even Henderson.
The ASB opened a Helensville caravan banking facility in response to public demand, after protests and public meetings were held to stop Helensville becoming "bankless".
It later established a more permanent site.
Angry the ASB is now leaving, Cummings warns the bank could "pay the same price" as when the ANZ and BNZ left town, with customers likely to close accounts.
He says many elderly in the area might not have computer access and will now have to travel to Kumeu or Westgate for their banking.
"Is this the beginning of the end for banks in small New Zealand towns?" Cummings asks.
He’d like to revive the original ‘bring back the banks’ campaign.
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