Kawerau's mayor Malcolm Campbell is describing the loss of two banks in his district as a "kick in the guts" for small-town New Zealand.
The district's ANZ branch will shut next month, and BNZ is now considering whether or not to stay open.
"We [Kawerau] were the first on BNZ's list, and now they are going to start spreading that out across the country," says Mr Campbell.
He's "disappointed but not surprised" with the closures, saying that banks only exist for their shareholders.
"These big greedy banks come in, they pillage everything, pick the guts out and then away they go."
He will be meeting with the Credit Union next week to discuss what the community wants, and suggests that locals stick with their community bank to help make it more profitable.
Mr Campbell says it's a reminder to "use it, or lose it" and that small towns must make the most of their facilities.
While the closures may not affect everyone, Mr Campbell believes it will have a large impact on the elderly, who still regularly use bank branches.
Westpac announced earlier this week that it's closing 19 regional branches across the country.
Newshub.
