Kiwibank has opened a new branch at North City Shopping Centre, giving Porirua customers access to face-to-face banking seven days a week.
The premises on the centre’s upper level, next to OPSM, were blessed by Ngāti Toa kaumātua Dr Taku Parai at a ceremony on Monday 19 October. Kiwibank regional manager Alan Fisher officially opened the branch, with Porirua mayor Anita Baker among those attending.
After meeting the local team, Baker described the premises in a Facebook post as a “beautifully bright, welcoming space” and acknowledged Key Commercial Interiors for its work on the fitout.
Weekend opening is the major change for customers. Kiwibank lists branch hours of 9am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday. The bank will not stay open for North City’s Thursday late-night shopping, when the centre remains open until 9pm.
The new branch is a relocation from Kiwibank’s Kilkerran Place premises. Kiwibank described it that way in recruitment advertising for staff at North City. Its published listing for the Kilkerran Place branch gives hours of 9am to 4.30pm on weekdays, with no Saturday or Sunday service.
The move means customers who cannot easily visit a bank during the working week now have the option of seeing staff on either day of the weekend.
Services listed for North City include opening accounts, replacing cards, changing PINs, verifying identity, help with digital banking, money transfers and access to home loan specialists. Kiwibank advises that the services available may vary depending on the day and time.
There is an important distinction for customers handling cash. On Saturdays and Sundays, deposits and withdrawals are available through the on-site ATM only, rather than over the counter.
The ATM has longer hours than the branch itself. It is listed as available until 9pm on Thursdays and until 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays, in line with the shopping centre’s trading hours.
North City had flagged the arrival of Kiwibank in its September-October retailer newsletter, saying work was underway on the upper-level premises and that the bank was aiming to open in late October.
The new branch is at Shop 203, North City Shopping Centre, 2 Titahi Bay Road, Porirua. Customers can check Kiwibank’s branch listing for up-to-date hours before visiting.