Kiwibank celebrates first birthday
18/03/2003
Kiwibank is celebrating its first birthday on Saturday March 22 with a barbecue lunch for all its Featherston customers and a number of invited guests.
Kiwibank chairman, Rt Hon Jim Bolger will host the event along with other members of the board and management of Kiwibank. The Minister of Economic Development, Hon Jim Anderton will be there as well as local Members of Parliament Georgina Beyer and Edwin Perry. More than 400 customers and other guests have already indicated they will be there.
The celebration, which starts at midday, will include entertainment, food and soft drink.
The nationwide openings of Kiwibank branches began on Saturday 23 March 2002 in Albany, Auckland. A small number of branches in Palmerston North and Hawkes Bay had been operating prior to that date in a pilot programme. Kiwibank now has more than 280 branches open, by far the largest network of any bank operating in New Zealand.
Kiwibank Chief Executive Sam Knowles said Featherston, in the Wairarapa, was chosen for the celebration because of the massive support for the bank in the town. More than 500 residents of the town have opened accounts and the number continues to grow. All Featherston customers have been invited to the celebration.
"Featherston is one of the many areas where Kiwibank has brought services back to communities which had been deserted by the other banks. Residents have responded by joining Kiwibank in very large numbers, much higher than we had hoped. Across the country we will have signed up more than 120,000 customers before the end of the month."
For further information:
Bruce Thompson
Communications Manager
(04) 460 6831
(027) 475 3521