Tararua Mayor, Tracey Collis, is continuing to lobby the Government to take action on the issue of banks closing their small-town branches.
Mrs Collis says closing branches has the potential to further alienate rural communities, which is why her and 32 other Mayors are calling for Government action.
Last week Westpac closed the doors on its Pahiatua branch after 122 years.
Mrs Collis says it is difficult to thrive when a bank removes the last service from a town which is growing and rejuvenating.
Meanwhile, the BNZ will close its Dannevirke and Waipukurau branches this week.
The two branches are the first of 24 BNZ is shutting down this year.
-----
Central Hawke’s Bay farming couple Andrew and Maddy McLean were last week crowned the Silver Fern Farms HB Farmer of the Year.
The couple, who farm on Bush Road, were the big winners at the 2021 Napier Port Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Awards, presented last Thursday.
The McLean’s have an 885-hectare farm on Bush Road.
A Field Day will be held at their property on the 13th of May.
The 2021 winners:
- Silver Fern Farms Hawke's Bay Farmer of the Year – Andrew and Maddy McLean
- Horticentre Trust Hawke's Bay Horticulturalist of the Year – R J Flowers Ltd
- Pan Pac Hawke's Bay Farm Forester of the Year – Mark Warren
- Hastings District Council Primary Sector Industry Leader of the Year – Kate Radburnd
- Unison Hawke's Bay Primary Sector Professional of the Year – Rex Newman
- BWR Hawke's Bay Primary Sector Innovation Award - MyEnviro
- Lawson Robinson Hawke's Bay Scholarship – William MacDonald
- Laurie Dowling Memorial Award – Marie Taylor
- Rural Directions Hawke's Bay Shepherd of the Year – To be announced at the Silver
Fern Farms Hawke's Bay Farmer of the Year Field Day on the 13th May
------------------
There were slight delays on SH50 yesterday morning after a truck rolled.
The accident happened just before 10am after the truck rolled near the intersection of SH50 and Ngatarawa Road.
Police said there were no injuries.