The familiar site of the automatic teller machine (ATM) could soon fade from New Zealand streets, with reports warning that ATMs may be virtually extinct by 2026.
A report in Morningside claims that while banks hail the shift as a “natural evolution” toward “convenience” and “efficiency”, critics caution that a cashless future risks creating dangerous vulnerabilities for society.
Digital payments and online banking have steadily reduced demand for cash, a trend supercharged by the COVID-19 “pandemic”. Banks argue that maintaining ATMs—costing thousands each year in smaller towns—no longer makes economic sense. Yet for many New Zealanders, cash remains more than a matter of habit. It is about security, independence, and resilience.
Rural communities face particular challenges. As Margaret, a Waikato dairy owner told Morningside, “If the nearest ATM is 40km away, that’s a real problem.” For elderly citizens, those without digital literacy, or families living paycheck to paycheck, the disappearance of ATMs could create a “digital underclass” with limited access to basic financial tools.
Some Kiwis highlight the risks of over-reliance on electronic systems. “In a crisis, power can go out, internet can go down. The last thing you want is people unable to buy food because card networks fail,” said disaster volunteer Helen Scott. Cash remains essential during emergencies, and its absence could turn infrastructure failures into national crises.
Banks are trialling stopgap solutions such as mobile ATMs and community cash-back systems, but some warn these measures may not be enough.
Image credit: Eduardo Saares
The international money usury system is the main driver of human suffering and enslavement. The NZ commercial banks and government are merely the regional managers for this usury cartel and are responsible for enacting policies to further indebt and inpoverish hard working kiwis.
Left with enough disposable income to eat and breed
Have you heard the term ‘useless eater’?
Here we go folks.
So we all better do our bit and make ATM’s great again and increase the cash demand output from ATM’s that the banks, without providing any evidence say is waning. As for the excuse of maintaining ATM’s, cry me a river. We don’t hate banks enough.
Seems that NZ First’s bill to protect our ability to use cash https://www.nzfirst.nz/nzf-bill-to-protect-cash
is not enough if we can’t get hold of our own cash in the first place.
Seems like we need another law to protect our own right to fully own all our own money.
And another law requiring the government to maintain at least one ATM per around 5,000 population.
Can’t trust politicians and MPs to make our laws for us. We clearly need to make our own laws.
NZ banks collectively made a profit of 7.2 billion dollars last year but cry over spending thousands maintaining ATMs in rural areas. Time to kick the Aussie owned banks out of the country.
Agree 100%. We need more locally owned banks.
We need the old simple NZPost type cash based banking system. Dairies can be licenced to act as conveyance banks with a cash limit of $2000.
Yeah, right.
This is MISINFORMATION.
This musing originates from a restaurateur, a David Stewart in Auckland. He’s the founder of Morningside Precinct somewhere downtown.
If David had any grasp of the broader implications of such a fantasy beyond his self-minded business agenda pulsing with unspent desire, he might consider putting up small signs in his pub that say: “Cash is accepted/preferred.”
So why does Mr. Stewart craft clickbait headlines? To promote his business? His intellect? His worldview? Or is he suggesting society should surrender its freedom and enter a digital prison – just to save him the hassle of handling cash?
Go woke, go broke!
Fact: There are no plans to discontinue ATM machines in New Zealand, and David, writing click-bait advertisements, knows that. However, bank-operated ATMs are being phased out as provincial bankers become obsolete and close, and who goes to a bank anyway.
So, there will be MORE ATM’s at supermarkets and decent business venues where people venture, though unlikely at Morningside Precinct.
We go where cash is king.
Thanks for the info! 👍
Counterfeit Small Hats, aka Ba’al Hats, Pagan Pollies, continuation of the Opal Files, and NWO 2030 Great Reset, 26x Mission Goals, including. 1x World Religion, 1x World Gov, 1x World Military, 1x World CDBC, End of National Sovereignty, Multiple Vaccinations, No Property ownership, No vehicle Ownership, All Living in 15x Minutes S.M.A.R.T. Cities, etc. Pagan POLLIES et al, HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO DO SO WHATSOEVER, The Great wRECKONING versus the Great Reset is here, Jan 2030 ain’t far away. https://www.infonews.co.nz/news.cfm?id=17241 NZ Sold down the toilet generations ago. Time to ………….
Vote NZ First, Winston has a members bill (National / Labour and all the rest did not support it) to keep cash as currency.
Banks should not be in a position to dictate whether we can use our own sovereign paper based currency. This is a matter for a referendum. If Kiwi’s decide they do not want a cashless society, then provision needs be made through legislation to ensure financial institutions fall in line or bugger off back to Australia. Of course, the quislings who tend to inhabit our parliaments are spinless creatures. I hold out little hope.
Get your money out of banks they are ripping you off big time and the time will come when they shut their doors where will that leave you ,be warned.
Buy gold or silver if you can save.
One oz.silver coin is still affordable even if you have a small income. But the price is starting to go up.
And leave the strict minimum on your bank account.
Yes, its the start of the World Economic Forums” Great Reset”. You will own nothing and be happy while you are slowly but surely depopulated while receiving Helen Clarke’s Universal Basic Income.
You missed the memo which updated the “you will own nothing and be happy” slogan. They actually said that to live, you no longer need to be happy
If we really do live in a free market economy, one or more banks will keep their ATM open in a ploy to attract dissatisfied customers from other banks, but if none do, then we don’t live in a free market economy. The question will be, what type of economy do we have? Fascist?
There is also the possibility that the private sector will go into the ATM business if there is enough demand.
The banks want a slice of everything you buy, plus your purchasing history which is a saleable commodity and used to create a very accurate and detailed profile about you.
Planned obsolence
As a mstter of urgency, those in the know need to arrange a binding referendum to keep cash.
May coincide with the collapse of the US dollar
You may be lucky and get away with a haircut
Certainly answers the question about gold prices skyrocketing.
Sadly the globalist trade unions are leading NZ into the globalist communist hell hole while claiming to represent the working classes.