Customers must wait to become part of Kiwibank

The crowds stymie PAULA OLIVER'S attempts to open an account on Kiwibank's first day.

Day One of Kiwibank and the girls in the bank are too busy to take my money.

When the Herald tried to open an account at Kiwibank's first branch yesterday, the teller said people would have to wait.

Too many customers, too few staff.

"The girls are flat out," he reported.

The "girls" turned out to be two staff members handling the opening of all accounts and they were booked up for the next couple of days due to the influx of customers.

Things were probably not much better at the other two branches opened in Palmerston North, our helpful teller said.

So despite carrying with me all the necessary information to open an account - not to mention all the necessary money - it could not be done.

Leave a phone number and wait for a representative to call "hopefully this afternoon", we were each told.

No call came.

It was not an auspicious start to the launch of the bank whose chief executive, Sam Knowles, just last week promised services in the community "human being to human being" and who wants 100,000 customers in three years.

Or perhaps, Mr Knowles would argue, it was too auspicious a start.

He always expected the bank would have to make appointments for customers wanting to open an account.

"The reason for the wait is that there has been such a large number of people wanting to open accounts that we have had to make appointments."

He said the Herald was lucky to have to wait only two days.

Hopefully, that means the call will come today. But Mr Knowles added: "Some people will be waiting a number of days, possibly over a week."

Setting up accounts is a very detailed process to make sure customers are matched to the right accounts.

"If you urgently need to open an account, we can fit in with them."

Among those who did manage to open an account was Palmerston North mayor Mark Bell-Booth.

He deposited $20 in a children's saving account for his 10-month-old grandson, Oliver.

Self-employed Auckland commercial cleaner, 57-year-old Robert Lyon travelled by train to Palmerston North to open his account (successfully it should be noted) because he was sick and tired of his bank sending the profits overseas.

"It's as simple as that. I want the profits to stay in New Zealand."

Kiwibank chairman Jim Bolger opened the first branch in Church St, central Palmerston North.

"It was a challenge to get past the cynics and the critics and those with genuine doubt," he said.

Momentarily forgetting where he was, Mr Bolger said it was great to open the first branch of the bank in "middle America".

New Zealand's former ambassador in Washington immediately corrected himself to position the bank in "middle New Zealand".

A nationwide launch taking in about 300 branches is planned for April and May.

The bank - the country's 17th - is one of the major political planks won by the Alliance and its leader Jim Anderton.

Today, four more branches will open in Hawkes Bay.

Hopefully, the "girls" won't be too busy.

- additional reporting NZPA

nzherald.co.nz/kiwibank