He said the move was made following the end of Westpac’s lease there, and had taken into account a 38 per cent fall in counter transactions at the branch in the past year. The decline in in-branch customers is a national issue, with a 65 per cent fall in the last four years, he said. “There are now 100 log-ins to online banking for each transaction in a branch, and Covid-19 has only accelerated these trends. “Most households in New Zealand have access to either a landline, mobile phone or computer which gives them 24-hour access to banking. We encourage customers to talk to us about their banking options.”