New Zealand Banks Put UK Banks To Shame!

AI brings news on New Zealand banking.

“As of February 2026, ANZ approximately 170 to 180 retail branches across New Zealand. While it remains the country's largest bank by assets, it has significantly reduced its physical footprint from a peak of around 300 branches a decade ago to adapt to the shift toward digital banking.”

So around 170 branches - plus nearly 600 ATMs.

Oh and there are also some Banking Hubs in New Zealand, shared by the country’s Big Four banks, which provide 24/7 Smart ATM access for cash and coin deposits.

NONE of the 200 + Banking Hubs in the UK provide 24/7 Smart ATM access for cash and coin deposits. So Cash Access UK ( Very?) Limited does not really live up to the promise of its name…

Come to think of it, the ANZ New Zealand branch numbers demonstrate that we Brits are being taken for complete mugs by the banking fraternity.

The population of NZ is 5.3 million, around 1/13 of the population of the UK.

So based on population size, the ANZ total of 170 branches in New Zealand is equivalent to having WELL OVER 2000 IN THE UK.

None of the Big 5 banks in the UK has a quarter of that number of branches.

We could do a similar calculation for ATM numbers - but no need.

You get the picture.

The number of branches the likes of ANZ and Westpac New Zealand have retained, despite some closures, results in friends of the Payment Choice Alliance being able to take photographs like the ones included with this article.

Those photographs show ANZ and Westpac branches in the small - and thriving - town of Warkworth, one hour North of Auckland.

The population of Warkworth?

From the 2023 NZ Census, just under 7000.

How many UK towns with a population of under 7000 retain two bank branches, each with 24/7 withdrawal/deposit ATMs?

NONE.

When is the British Government and its organs - HM Treasury , Financial Conduct Authority, Bank of England & Payment Systems Regulator - going to act to stop the banks wrecking communities around the UK?

We don’t know precisely when.

But we DO know one public-centric organisation that will be kicking their backsides HARDER and HARDER until they do.