Westpac expands community banking with new vans and extended branch hours
Westpac NZ has announced new initiatives that aim to give customers more options to do their banking in person.
OPINION: Your old mate can’t believe the gall of the NZ big banks crying about their ‘reduced’ profitability this year.
First out of the blocks was ANZ, shedding crocodile tears about how “tough things” had been in the past year and how it had only managed to make a profit of $1.825 billion for the year to September 30 on its NZ business -- an 8% drop on 2018.
The next big Aussie bank to publish its result was Westpac, with its NZ arm reporting a 3% lift in net profit to $964m, from $936m last year.
But this didn’t stop its $2.5m-a-year NZ boss decrying how business conditions had “deteriorated” in the second half of the reporting period, based largely on uncertainty about the outlook for next year.
Your canine crusader would be interested to know just how ANZ and Westpac are currently treating their rural/farming clients and how ‘tough’ they are making it for them.
With the current situation in the European farm machinery market being described as difficult at best, it’s perhaps no surprise that the upcoming AgriSIMA 2026 agricultural machinery exhibition, scheduled for February 2026 at Paris-Nord Villepinte, has been cancelled.
The Meat Industry Association of New Zealand (MIA) has launched the first in-market activation of the refreshed Taste Pure Nature country-of-origin brand with an exclusive pop-up restaurant experience in Shanghai.
Jayna Wadsworth, daughter of the late New Zealand wicketkeeper Ken Wadsworth, has launched an auction of cricket memorabilia to raise funds for I Am Hope's youth mental health work.
As we move into the 2025/26 growing season, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) reports that the third quarter results for the year to date is showing that the stagnated tractor market of the last 18 months is showing signs of recovery.
DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown is urging dairy farmers to participate in the 2026 Levy vote, to be held early next year.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling for nominations for director roles in the Eastern North Island and Southern South Island electoral districts.

OPINION: Every time politicians come up with an investment scheme where they're going to have a crack at 'picking winners'…
OPINION: What are the unions for these days?