A majority of high street banks will have ceased issuing or accepting cheques by July this year, but semi-retired Waihola farmer John Galloway (87) said the move would leave older and rural people with no alternative options for some types of payment.
Mr Galloway, who has been an ANZ customer for more than 50 years, said that he found his bank’s planned removal of cheques from May "inexplicable" and "inconsiderate".
"I issue about 30 cheques a year for bigger farm expenses and without them I’d be forced to drive around to every supplier individually, or go back to keeping thousands of dollars stuffed under the mattress. It’s a joke."
He said correspondence from ANZ announcing the change last year had suggested using internet or phone banking instead.
"I’ve never owned a computer or smartphone and I’m severely deaf, so phones are a bit tricky.
"I’d go into the [Milton] branch, but that closed in 2016, leaving me with a 64km round trip to Balclutha.
"Luckily, I’m still driving, but of course even that’s not a given for older people."
Mr Galloway said statistics quoted by ANZ and other banks, stating fewer than 1% of customers now used cheques regularly, overlooked the human element.
"That’s still thousands of loyal customers, like me, who are just being abandoned without a care. It’s a feeble argument and they need to take another look."
Clutha Budget Advisory Service co-ordinator Lee-Anne Michelle said Mr Galloway was not alone in his concerns.
During a recent presentation she made to South Otago Grey Power, all present had expressed their worry about the banking sector’s move.
"We’re getting a lot of people contacting us both among those retired and those with disabilities who are less able to access and use internet or phone banking easily.
"Unfortunately, we don’t have good answers for them, as the banks aren’t really providing any solutions themselves."
She said suggestions that people ask for relatives’ help with technology were "not ideal".
"That potentially opens up vulnerable people to exploitation, and also puts the relatives in an invidious position. It flies in the face of data security."
An ANZ spokeswoman said the bank sympathised with Mr Galloway’s situation.
"We appreciate this is not an easy situation.
"Unfortunately, ending the use of cheques is part of a wider move, with most banks alongside ANZ phasing them out because so few people choose to use them now.
"We understand this move may be difficult ... We’ve been in touch with thousands of cheque users since July to let them know what’s happening, the digital payment options available and how we can help them make the change."
Among the other main banks, SBS and TSB have not yet announced plans to phase out cheques.
Kiwibank went cheque-free on February 28 last year, and Co-operative Bank on December 31; Westpac has announced it will go cheque-free from June 25 and BNZ by July.
ASB has confirmed it will discontinue cheques, but has yet to confirm a date.
