Venkat Raman
Auckland, December 9, 2019
Two prominent social workers were honoured by Kiwibank at the opening of its branch in Sylvia Park in Mount Wellington this morning.
Belinda Thompson and Damian Piilua received special commendation from the Bank’s Chief Executive Steve Jurkovich at a small gathering of the Bank’s staff and customers at the informal gathering.
The Bank has also designated two private meeting rooms at the new branch in their name.
Belinda Simpson
Kiwibank General Manager (Retail Distribution) Geoff Waller said that Belinda Simpson has worked hard for the past 23 years to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities by bringing them together with dogs throughout New Zealand.
“Ms Simpson is Founder, Perfect Partners Assistance Dog Trust, a registered charity that oversees the training and certification of assistance dogs. She is an Occupational Therapist working in the field of Animal Assisted Interventions,” he said.
Damian Piilua
Mr Waller said that Mr Piilua has taken ‘positive decisions’ for the benefit of young people in Auckland.
“Damian Piilua is the 2019 Chairman of Manurewa Youth Council, 2017-2019 Deputy Chairman of the Auckland Youth Advisory Panel, Assistant Facilitator at Aspiring Leaders Forum and the MC of the University of Auckland Poetry Slam. He has passion for youth, cultural identity, music and mental health awareness,” he said.
About the Branch
Mr Waller described Sylvia Park as ‘a popular shopping destination,’ with great transport links and plenty of parking.
“With the Sylvia Park branch, we consider it more aligned with what our local customers told us they wanted when visiting Kiwibank. We have designed the space to facilitate better banking conversations including private meeting rooms which we are naming for some special local people,” he said.
Mr Waller said that late night Thursdays and weekend operating hours will provide customers greater access to Kiwibank’s specialised banking services.
“The new branch also features more digital options, so customers can self-serve or use with the assistance of our team,” he said.
The Branch will be open from 9 am to 430 pm Monday to Wednesday, 9 am to 7 pm on Thursday, 9 am to 430 pm on Friday, 930 am to 430 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday.
