Tuesday June 6 2007
For immediate release

Community campaign stops bank branch closing

A community campaign led by North Dunedin businesses and residents has been successful in stopping Westpac bank from closing their local branch. Westpac announced today that it will keep its Gardens branch in North Dunedin open following overwhelming opposition from locals to the banks proposal to shut it.

Finsec, the bank workers union, supported the campaign.

“This is a fantastic outcome for our community. Retaining a bank branch will assist in the ongoing development of our area,” said local business campaign coordinator Cindy King. “This decision will help to restore the communities trust in Westpac and shows that they have listened to our concerns.

“This campaign demonstrates the power of local communities. While banks are big and profitable, at the end of the day local communities are the customers and banks need to be responsive to the communities needs,” said King.

“This is the first time in recent memory that a major bank has stepped away from closing a branch after listening to and taking on board the concerns of a local community. We applaud Westpac for their decision,” said Finsec Campaigns Director Andrew Campbell.

“Westpac bank has closed over 200 branches in New Zealand since 1994. Bank workers and local communities have had enough of branch closures, that is why we campaigned to save this branch,” said Campbell.

“In Australia the major banks are reversing the trends of the 90’s and are opening branches. While there are benefits to phone and internet banking, not all customers are able to access these services and many customers are saying they prefer to talk to someone face to face when it comes to their finances,” said Campbell

ENDS

© Scoop Media