Westpac New Zealand has expanded its ATM language options to include Tongan, Samoan and Hindi, making the services more accessible for New Zealand’s diverse communities. The new options have been rolled out across all 373 ATMs in the bank’s network.
Andrew Twidle, Acting Managing Director of Consumer Banking and Wealth at Westpac NZ, said the update is aimed at supporting users in the language of their choice.
“New Zealand is a multicultural society, so we want to make sure we’re reflecting that in the services we provide,” Mr Twidle said.
“We’ve had English, Mandarin and Te Reo Māori language options on our ATMs for some time and it’s fantastic to now be able to support more people with the addition of Tongan, Samoan and Hindi.”
After inserting a card into any Westpac-branded ATM, users are prompted to choose a preferred language. Once selected, all menu options appear in that language. The feature is available on both standard and Smart ATMs, enabling customers to make withdrawals, deposits, bill payments, and balance enquiries in their chosen language.
“It sounds like a simple change, but it's something we know will make a meaningful difference to many Kiwis, as well as visitors to our country,” Mr Twidle said.
“We want to make sure everyone feels confident about using our ATMs for their banking needs.”
Westpac ATMs remain free to use for customers of other New Zealand banks. Customers of overseas banks may incur usage fees.
This latest rollout is part of Westpac’s broader effort to improve banking accessibility for people who prefer not to communicate in English. In 2023, the bank partnered with interpreting service Language Loop, enabling staff to connect customers with interpreters in under a minute.
Language Loop supports more than 190 languages, including Hindi, Samoan, Tongan and Mandarin. Since the service launched, it has been used by customers more than 350 times.
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