The Reserve Bank wants all those who need it to be able to access cash. And it's proposing as part of its 'Keeping Cash Local' initiative, a 'cash services standard' that it has opened for public consultation. Essentially the RBNZ's looking at a number of 'cash sites' evenly distributed around the country that would allow the withdrawal, deposit and exchange of cash. RBNZ's director of money and cash Ian Woolford says the public expect banks to provide cash services to them, "but banks have been steadily reducing points of access for their customers to get cash, bank cash or get change, especially in rural areas". “We believe banks must provide cash services to customers, free-of-charge, because cash is an essential part of a customer’s relationship with their bank," Woolford says.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 25, 2026 02:48 UTC