Getting Started in New Zealand

Introducing The National Bank

The National Bank is one of New Zealand’s leading and most respected banks. Established in New Zealand in 1873, we operate throughout the country. We have an extensive network of branches and ATM machines along with Online Banking and telephone banking services – which means our customers can manage their finances whatever way suits them best.

Banking in New Zealand

New Zealand has a very modern and easily accessible banking system that is safe and secure. Here is some useful information about banking in New Zealand.

  • Electronic banking is very popular and includes services such as Online Banking, telephone banking and ATMs (money machines).
  • EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale) is another widely used payment service. With EFTPOS you can use your Cashpoint (debit) card to make purchases in all retail stores and withdraw cash at thousands of ATM locations around New Zealand.
  • Credit and debit cards are widely accepted and used, which means people generally don’t need to carry large amounts of cash with them.
  • Credit cards are commonly used for everyday transactions such as grocery shopping or paying bills.
  • Everyday banking accounts such as current (cheque) accounts often have a monthly account fee. The National Bank has a range of current accounts with different fee structures, so you can choose the account that best suits the way you like to bank.

Further information

It can be difficult knowing where to start when you're planning on moving to a new country. To make it easier, here are some helpful links to information on various aspects of life in New Zealand.

Visit any of the websites below to find information about life in New Zealand.

  • Independent migration advice – NZAMI (New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment) is the only registered body in New Zealand to provide information and specialist advice on migrating to New Zealand.
  • Immigration – New Zealand Immigration Service website is a complete guide to the processes involved in immigrating to New Zealand.
  • Employment – Working In: New Zealand provides a profile on companies in different sectors of the workforce. You can often obtain the recruitment details for a number of these companies from the site, or visit the Careers with Us page to see the opportunities available within our organisation.
  • Housing – Visit Open2View one of New Zealand's most popular real estate websites.  In addition Quotable Value also offer market information, neighbourhood profiles and online property valuations.
  • Education – The Education Review Office reviews schools and early childhood education services. You can gain knowledge about a possible education facility for your children by visiting the website and reading the report on your chosen school. Visit NZQA for information on studying in New Zealand, or having your overseas qualifications evaluated.
  • Tax – Visit the Inland Revenue Department for New Zealand tax information.
  • About New Zealand – Statistics New Zealand has a wealth of information and official statistics about New Zealand.

For an overview of news and current events, visit the websites of the New Zealand Herald and the Dominion Post: the two most widely circulated daily newspapers.

National Bank Debt Consolidation
close

Budget Planner

Creating a budget is a great way to help you manage your finances. Enter your income and expenses into our Budget Planner, and we’ll do all the calculations and summarise your results.

Save your budgetPrint your budget
Income Type (after tax) Amount Frequency
$
$
$

Add another income? Fill in the entry below and click on the Add button

Income Type (after tax) Amount Frequency
Type a description
 $
Enter an amount
Your total after tax income is: $0.00
Next
Expenses Category Amount Frequency
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$

Add another expense? Fill in the entry below and click on the Add button

Expenses Category Amount Frequency
Type a description
Please select a category
 $
Enter an amount
Your total expenses are: $0.00
Previous
Next
tips

Top tip: Estimating your expenses

Check your account and credit card statements for all your income and expenses. The more information and detail you enter into the Budget Planner the more accurate the results will be.

This material is for information purposes only. Its content is intended to be of a general nature, does not take into account your financial situation or goals, and is not a personalised financial adviser service under the Financial Advisers Act 2008. It is recommended you seek advice from a financial adviser which takes into account your individual circumstances before you acquire a financial product. If you wish to consult one of The National Bank's financial advisers, please contact us on 0800 18 18 18.

To complete your budget planning, please enter  information

Summary of your income and expenses

Total after-tax income $0.00
Total expenses $0.00
Surplus $0.00

Income summary

Show as a pie graph
Income Type Amount Percentage of
your income
Show as a list
Income Summary

Expenses summary

Show as a pie graph
Category Amount Percentage of
your expenses
Show as a list
Expense Summary
Previous
Links
Save your budgetPrint your budget

What now?

You’ve made a good start to budgeting – take some time to review or discuss your results. You can either print your Budget Planner or save it as either a PDF or an excel document for future use.

Have you considered...

Save and Invest

Organising your savings and investments can be simple. All you have to do is decide what your goals are, and we can help you find the best way of achieving them.

More information

If you’d like to talk further about any of these options, call 0800 18 18 18, contact any branch, or e-mail us.

A copy of the Bank's Disclosure Statement under the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989 is available on this website or on request from any National Bank branch, free of charge.

You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the PDF version. If you don't have it, don't worry - it's free. Just follow this link to the Adobe site to download a copy.

The taxation treatment of Portfolio Investment Entities is covered in the Investment Statement (PDF 138KB).

* ANZ Investment Services (New Zealand) Limited is the issuer/manager of the National Bank Call Fund. The New Zealand Guardian Trust Company Limited is the Trustee of the Fund. The National Bank of New Zealand, part of ANZ National Bank Limited is the distributor of units in the Fund. Units in the Fund do not represent deposits or other liabilities of ANZ National Bank Limited. An investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk, including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and principal invested. No member of the ANZ National Bank Limited Group, the New Zealand Guardian Trust Company Limited or any other person guarantees (either partially or fully) ANZ Investment Services (New Zealand) Limited or the capital value or performance of the Fund or any other products issued by them.

^ A copy of The National Bank KiwiSaver Scheme Investment Statement is available as a PDF at the below link, or you can request one to be sent to you by calling 0800 156 020 Guardian Trust Superannuation Trustees Limited is the issuer of The National Bank KiwiSaver Scheme, ING (NZ) Limited is the Administration and Investment Manager and The National Bank of New Zealand, part of ANZ National Bank Limited, is the Distributor. Units in the Scheme do not represent deposits or other liabilities of ANZ National Bank Limited. Units are subject to investment risk, including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and principal invested. No member of ANZ National Bank Limited Group, ING Group, Guardian Trust Superannuation Trustees Limited, its parent and their respective directors or any other person guarantees or secures (either partially or fully) ING (NZ) Limited and its subsidiaries or the capital value or performance of the Scheme or any other products issued or managed by them.

To keep your information, please save your budget before exiting the tool.
Press OK to continue, or Cancel to stay on the Budget Planner.