Westpac NZ has announced the launch of a new community banking service van, set to travel between towns as part of a pilot programme aimed at improving banking access in New Zealand’s regions.
Westpac NZ Consumer Banking & Wealth spokesperson Andrew Twidle stated that serious efforts had been invested in developing the pilot.
“Westpac already has the biggest regional branch footprint of the country’s four largest banks, and we see the community banking service as complementing that network,” Twidle said.
From mid-May, Westpac’s new community banking van will begin its Southland tour, parking in central spots in Windsor, Winton, and Te Anau one day each week.
“In choosing where to run the pilot, we looked at where there was the most opportunity for a mobile service to have an impact. While Westpac has a strong branch presence in Southland, the widespread geography of the towns there made it a great region to trial this approach.”
Westpac staff from multiple Southland branches will accompany the van as it travels to assist customers.
Westpac’s van will provide assistance with a variety of services, such as opening accounts, processing home or personal loan applications, issuing and activating cards, and offering general support for online banking.
The van will operate without handling cash, meaning staff won’t accept cash deposits or dispense cash.
However, they will make every effort to help customers use nearby ATMs whenever possible.
Westpac has been running a trial community banking service in Wairoa for the past six months, which Twidle said “has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers.”
“We’ve been able to use that information to help us determine the best approach to take with the van.”
“While the Wairoa community banking service is still in its trial phase, we’re already exploring how we might be able to offer a similar service in other regions.”
“We’re also really excited to see how Southland locals react to the Westpac community banking van.”