Money & banking

Banking

Major New Zealand banks are:

Bank	Contact number if calling in New Zealand	Contact number if calling from overseas
ANZ Bank	0800 103 123	+64 4 472 7123
Bank of New Zealand	0800 2400 00	+64 4 801 2400
ASB Bank	0800 803 804	+64 9 306 3000
Kiwi Bank	0800 11 33 55	+64 9 336 1133
National Bank	0800 181 818	+64 4 382 9608
Westpac Bank	0800 400 600	+64 9 912 8000

Opening a bank account

Nearly all the major banks have international student packages. 

To open the account you’ll need to take along some identification (ID), such as a passport, a birth certificate, and/or a driver’s licence.  Your bank can tell you exactly what you’ll need to bring.

Will my ATM card work in New Zealand?

ATM (Automatic Teller Machines) cards can be used in New Zealand so long as they have been enabled for international access.

Your ATM card must carry either the CIRUS, PLUS or STAR international ATM mark or the Interlink or Maestro POS mark.

Budgeting

In addition to your tuition fees, you will be responsible for planning and budgeting your living costs.  Below is an estimated cost of living guide per month for a single student living in homestay accommodation in Auckland.

Item	Auckland
	Cost per month ($NZ)
Single homestay room (breakfast & dinner included)	$1064
Food (lunches & snacks)	$200 ($10 per day)
Telephone	$50
Transport	$130
Stationery	$40
Clothing, entertainment, personals	$150
Total monthly costs	$1634
Total costs per academic year (40 weeks)	$16,340

Need more information?

• More about Auckland city

Part time employment

You can work for up to 20 hours in any given week during the academic year (including holidays within the academic year) if you are:

• Undertaking a full-time course of study and taking at least 2 academic years to complete or,
• Undertaking a full-time course of study culminating in a qualification that would qualify for points under the Skilled Migrants Category, or
• Undertaking a fulltime full secondary school year course of study in Years 12 or 13, provided you have written permission from their school and written parental consent, or
• Engaged in a full-time course of study of at least 6 months duration, at a Private Training Establishment, and a visa or immigration officer is satisfied that the primary purpose of the course of study is to develop English language skills, and, at the time of application for a student visa or permit, you have an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall band score of 5.0 or above, or
• Undertaking a full-time course of study of 12 months or more duration, you may work during the Christmas-New Year holiday period.

You should not plan to work in New Zealand to pay the major part of your fees or living expenses.