We Say/You Say: Bank Closures
Hi neighbours,
How are you going to be impacted by changes in banking?
Mayors around the country have called on the government to intervene in bank closures around the country.
33 mayors around the country have signed an open letter to Jacinda Ardern asking her government to investigate the closures. The mayors stated that access to ATMs would not address the social harm and depravities for provincial and farming communities.
Last week, Kiwibank announced that it would close seven of its branches, with BNZ confirming it would close 38 branches nationwide.
BNZ Chief Customer Officer, Paul Carter, said three-quarters of their customers are digitally active.
“The majority of our customers are banking online and our talented bankers are often waiting in empty branches for customers that simply do not arrive,” he said.
BNZ customer Jasmine Polglase was more concerned for her grandparents, who banked with the BNZ.
“They don’t have a computer, like many elderly. But unlike my grandparents, some here don’t have family to do banking for them and help them navigate that sort of thing.”
Share your thoughts below and don't forget to type NFP if you don't want your comments used in your local paper.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Would you like a free copy of our February 2025 issue?
Kia ora neighbours. We give away free copies to readers whose recipes are used in our magazine. We're still on the hunt for tomato recipes, so send your family's favourite way to use up your homegrown harvest, to: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. If we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of the mag