BANKING GONE BAD
In St Heliers I went to the Westpac Bank this morning, then to the BNZ. Neither banks produce receipts for you any more. The Westpac bank offers you a language option, (including Maori) a bill pay option but NO option for taking out cash.
It offers you a "start without card." It offers you a "bill payment" option, but it did not give me to access my money.
The BNZ last month shortchanged me by $100.00 of a $600 withdrawal. They took over 3 weeks to rectify it.
I assisted an elderly an elderly woman 3 days ago with depositing money and there was NO facility to get a receipt at the BNZ. The option is written there, but there is no connection when you press for that. It is a complete impossibility to get a receipt, which is just plain wrong in my view. For a deposit, you get no proof!
Last Christmas I was charged $10 in December for my BNZ annual card fee (read Annual) then in January I was charged it again. When I rang, the girl said blithely "OH yes ... computing error", and when I asked if they had been a flurry of people who had noticed she was confident "no-one to my knowledge has noticed". Which when you consider if they only have 500,000 customers at $10.00 charged brings them in $5 million dollars. For a computer clitch of $10.00!!
You can't see anyone at a bank anymore.
You can't get a receipt.
You can't get your money out
They overcharge you on fees.
They shortchange on withdrawals.
Anyone else smelling something rotten in the banking world? IN New Zealand?
Read Adele Fergusan for what went wrong in Australia for an enlightening expose of the corruption in banking in Australia.
And remember most of our banks are Australian owned. Just an an added germ of joy to add to this whole saga of subterfuge by the Westpac and BNZ in St Heliers.
Netball Umpire Courses
Help out your netball teams this winter season as an umpire, or get a better understanding of the rules as a player.
Take an introductory umpire course at Auckland Netball Centre, St Johns
7v7 Netball
Wednesday 4th March 4pm-7pm
6v6 Junior Netball
Tuesday 3rd March 4pm-7pm
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
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