Westpac expands community banking with new vans and extended branch hours

Two new community banking vans will hit the road in coming months, joining one already operating in Southland.

The new vans will travel around Northland and Canterbury, offering non-cash services including opening accounts, loan applications and general support with using online channels.

A fourth van is set to enter service later in 2026 in a location that has not yet been confirmed.

Alongside the vans are new community banker sites, which will offter the same range of non-cash services in public spaces such as libraries.

Following a successful pilot in Wairoa, four new sites are being trialled across South Auckland, Christchurch and Mosgiel.

Catherine McGrath, chief executive of Westpac NZ, says the bank recognises that many customers prefer meeting with someone face-to-face for major banking decisions.

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“While more and more New Zealanders are choosing to do their banking digitally, there’s still a need for quality face-to-face conversations between our bankers and customers," McGrath says.

"We think our frontline teams are a real strength, with three-quarters of surveyed customers we interact with in branch or on the phone saying they’re ‘very satisfied’ with our service.

"We think our frontline teams are a real strength, with three-quarters of surveyed customers we interact with in branch or on the phone saying they’re ‘very satisfied’ with our service,” she adds.

McGrath says the community banker vans are the most visible part of those initiatives, travelling between locations where there isn't enough demand for a full-service branch but where customers still require support and advice.

“Our Southland van regularly visits Te Anau, Winton and Riverton, along with Windsor and South City in Invercargill.  It parks up in places you wouldn’t normally expect to see banking services, like outside the local RSA," she says.

“We’ve had great customer uptake and feedback since it launched in May. Customers appreciate us showing up in places they’re comfortable and familiar with, like outside RSAs and churches, rather than having to visit a branch which can be intimidating for some.

“Having expert bankers on the ground is helping us strengthen our connections to the community.  For example, in Te Anau, we’ve formed a relationship with Fiordland Community House that means we can help vulnerable and older customers manage their money better, including educating them about online banking.

“While the vans are cashless, bankers will help customers with cash services at nearby ATMs where possible.

“We’re also looking at taking them further afield to help our business customers set up recognised seasonal employer workers with bank accounts in places like Marlborough and Bay of Plenty. 

“These workers play a critical role in our horticulture and viticulture industries.  We want to make it easy for them to access essential banking services, which will also benefit our customers who employ them.

“Having mobile banking vans gives us that flexibility to support communities when and where they need it.”

Westpac is also extending branch hours in direct response to customer feedback, meaning all branches will operate from 9.30am to 4.30pm on days that they’re open.

“We  have the joint-largest branch network of the four biggest banks, but we hear from people they’d like more flexibility about when they can visit us,” McGrath says.

“As a result, we’re adding a total of 340 extra hours a week of opening time across our branch network.

“At the same time, New Zealanders in general are increasingly choosing to bank online, and we’re investing to improve these channels too.  For instance, customers refixing their home loans online through Westpac One digital banking increased by more than 50% in the last six months compared to the same period last year.  This creates a faster and easier experience while freeing up our bankers to spend more time talking to customers about their needs.

“Customer preferences will no doubt continue to change. Our job is to consider those changes and make sure we’re meeting customers’ needs by delivering the best possible service, whether in-person, online or on the phone.”

When it enters service in the coming months, it’s proposed the Northland van will visit Mangawhai, Wellsford, Waipu, Kawakawa and Paihia. 

The Canterbury van will visit nine proposed locations around Christchurch and surrounding areas. 

Full details of Westpac’s community banking services and locations can be found on the https://www.westpac.co.nz/personal/ways-to-bank/community-banking/.