The Reserve Bank of New Zealand published a set of financial inclusion indicators to track how well individuals and businesses can obtain and access key financial services, including cash services, deposit accounts and regulated credit products, and to identify where participation is uneven. The report finds that 97% of adults in Aotearoa New Zealand have at least one deposit account, but access varies by age, income and ethnicity. Around 70% of adults have at least one regulated credit product, falling to 64% among Māori, with regional differences also noted including notably lower access in Gisborne relative to its population size. Rural residents, particularly those over 60, are less likely than urban residents to find it easy to deposit cash, while Māori-owned businesses received NZD 3.5 billion in lending from the four largest banks, representing 2% of total business lending of NZD 185 billion. The indicators were developed using international approaches.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand 2025-07-30
Reserve Bank of New Zealand publishes financial inclusion indicators highlighting disparities in access to deposit accounts, credit and cash services
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand released financial inclusion indicators revealing that while 97% of adults in Aotearoa New Zealand have a deposit account, access to financial services varies by age, income, and ethnicity, with notable disparities for Māori and rural residents. Māori-owned businesses received NZD 3.5 billion in lending, accounting for 2% of total business lending.