Towns set to fight closure of banks

By Ken Lewis

MAUNGATUROTO - Residents of Maungaturoto and Waipu say they are determined to fight the National Bank's decision to close its branches in the two towns.

The bank has sent a letter to customers saying the branches, the towns' last banks, will shut on May 28 and customers wanting to visit a branch will have to go to Whangarei, Dargaville or Wellsford, a 45-minute drive for many.

Both settlements have had a reduced service for several months, with the Waipu branch open for business two days a week and the Maungaturoto branch three days.

There are no automatic teller machines in the towns, which means residents who cannot get to the larger centres will have to obtain money through the Eftpos facilities of local businesses.

The owner of the Maungaturoto Lotto shop and liquor store, Tony Schicker, said the decision might be the death-knell for some of the town's businesses.

"When the banks leave, then other businesses leave with them.

"People will be forced to go to Wellsford, Whangarei or Dargaville to do their banking, and will do their shopping there also."

He says local businesses will end up doing the banks' work for them by providing cash for residents through Eftpos.

Some residents have already been told by bank staff to use local businesses for withdrawals.

At a meeting yesterday, about 50 Maungaturoto residents agreed that the two towns should fight the closures.

Mr Schicker said residents would investigate their options and approach other banks regarding banking facilities.

The National Bank's announcement is the latest development in a series of Northland bank closures.

Mangonui and Kawakawa both lost their banks earlier this year, when the ANZ and WestpacTrust branches closed.

Mangonui residents have approached the ASB Bank to take over the service but the bank's corporate affairs manager, Murray Beckman, says latest figures make such a venture unlikely.

In Kawakawa, which still has two ATM machines, businesses are feeling the strain without full banking services.

Stationery shop owner Marie Byrne said having to keep cash overnight was the main worry but maintaining a cash float for people withdrawing money on Eftpos was also difficult.

The corporate affairs manager for the National Bank, Cynthia Brophy, said the Waipu and Maungaturoto branches averaged just 93 transactions a day.

A declining use of services meant the bank could no longer justify full branch services in either town.