News of the closure of Westpac Bank in Kaiapoi has left some of our elderly and those with mobility issues feeling let down and vulnerable, says Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey.

"The impact for these residents, and for others who for various reasons don’t feel comfortable doing their banking via internet or phone banking, and who are dependent on person-to-person service at banks, will be significant.

"After Westpac Bank rang me to inform me of the closure, I wrote to Finance Minister Grant Robertson, requesting that Kaiapoi be included as a pilot location for the trialling of new regional banking hubs which the Minister announced last year.

"In the hubs, different banks are co-located in one shop to keep costs down and it’s a way of ensuring banking services are still available in small towns as we see ever-increasing numbers of branches being closed in our rural areas. I believe Kaiapoi would be a very appropriate location to trial one of these hubs.

"I have urged the minister to consider Kaiapoi as a location for a banking hub," Doocey said.