An East Coast man has taken on the role of ATM in his small town after Cyclone Gabrielle cut off internet connections and left regular payment methods redundant.
By Matthew Rosenberg of Local Democracy Reporting
When Eftpos went down in Ruatoria after Cyclone Gabrielle — as it did in much of Tairāwhiti — cash became the mode of choice.
But with the last bank withdrawing from the small town in 2015, notes and coins weren’t easy to come by.
On top of that, the ATM (automated teller machine) at the local Four Square also went offline and remained unusable for all of that week.
With that in mind, a local man — who has asked to remain nameless — found a solution as part of a five-hour trip to Tauranga to collect supplies.
Using the trip as an opportunity to empty his own bank account while borrowing “a couple of grand” from his mother and sister, he brought cash back to Ruatoria and began distributing it in the town of 700 to anyone willing to transfer amounts into his account.
So far, he has distributed more than $3000.
“I’ve been the Ruatoria ATM," the man said.
"I let some locals know via Facebook and the opportunity seems to have spread by word of mouth.
“Fortunately we probably don’t need it any more if the service station and other shops are back online, but I suggest we should all have a little amount of cash set aside at home if possible."
The man said he was working on a non-monetary value exchange system with stakeholders, which would enable communities to mobilise quickly in case of similar events.
A helicopter delivered cash to the Ruatoria ATM early last week, but it was cleaned out within two days.
Westpac was the last bank to be open in Ruatoria, pulling out in 2015, to the disappointment of residents who had campaigned for it to stay open.
The branch was the region’s only one north of Gisborne.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
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