Good to know
Good to Know
- While not expected, you may notice tip jars on counters or tipping options on payment terminals, but tipping is entirely optional and never assumed.
- Debit cards are not as widely accepted as credit cards, especially in smaller rural communities.
- New Zealanders also very rarely carry cash and overwhelmingly prefer to pay for their goods and services by card.
- Many ATMs don't charge any fees, while others may charge up to 7 NZD.
- Raglan is a small coastal town; card acceptance is generally good, though some small independent businesses may prefer cash.
- Have at least a 4-digit PIN on your debit card, as 6-digit PINs may not work at all NZ ATMs.
Restaurants
- Expectation
- Optional
- Note
- Plan to tip around 10-15% in New Zealand restaurants. However, the exact tip amount when eating out in New Zealand depends on the place, occasion, and order size.
Typical Amount If Given
- Casual
- NZD 1-5 or round up
- Fine Dining
- NZ$15
Tour Guides
- Expectation
- More common than restaurants
- Note
- For a half-day or full-day guided tour, NZD 5-20 per person for excellent service is genuinely appreciated and more common than restaurant tipping. Tour operators, particularly smaller owner-operators, often work for rates closer to minimum wage than a restaurant chef.
Typical Amount If Given
- Full Day
- NZ$20
- Half Day
- NZ$10
Banking
- Availability
- Limited banking services
- Ease Of Banking
- Moderate difficulty due to limited physical infrastructure; digital banking is primary option. Raglan's location (40+ km from Hamilton financial district) makes in-person banking inconvenient.
- Major Banks Accessible
- Westpac operates in Raglan. Other major NZ banks (ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank) have extensive networks in nearby Hamilton and throughout New Zealand but no confirmed branch in Raglan town center. Most banking is conducted online or through Hamilton branches.
- Account Opening Process
- New account holders typically need: valid passport/ID, proof of address, source of funds documentation. For nomads/temporary residents, online account opening is increasingly available through major NZ banks. Foreign nationals can open accounts but requirements vary by bank.
- Regulatory Note
- All locally incorporated banks in NZ are covered by Depositor Compensation Scheme (DCS) protecting deposits up to NZD $100,000 per depositor per institution.
Branches In Raglan
30 Bow Street, Raglan
- Bank
- Westpac
- Services
- Branch and ATM available
ATM Access
- Availability
- There are over 1,800 bank-owned ATMs in New Zealand, along with numerous others operated by independent networks. There are plenty of places to find cash in New Zealand, both in cities and smaller towns.
- Pin Requirement
- If your debit card has a Visa, MasterCard, Maestro or Plus logo on it, you can use it in any ATM for cash withdrawal as long as they have a four-digit PIN encoded.
Fees
- Typical Conversion Fee Percentage
- ~3%
- Typical Foreign ATM Withdrawal Fee NZD
- NZ$5.00
- Note
- When withdrawing at some ATMs, you may be asked to Accept OR Decline Conversion. If you 'Accept', the ATM converts your money at its set exchange rate and charges an extra % fee. If you 'Decline', the ATM will convert at the bank/card network rate. To avoid extra fees, select 'Decline/Without' Conversion or 'Charge in NZD'.
Card Types Accepted
- Plus Cirrus
- Common
- Visa Mastercard
- Widely accepted
- American Express Diners
- Limited
Bars Cafes
- Expectation
- Not common but appreciated
- Typical Practice
- Tip jars at the counter exist — dropping in your coins is friendly, leaving nothing is equally fine.
Taxi Drivers
- If Given
- Rounding up your fare to the nearest dollar is the easiest way of tipping taxi drivers. For example, if your fare is $27.50 NZD, you could round it up to $30 NZD.
- Expectation
- Not expected
Cultural Context
Service workers generally earn a higher wage than in most other countries ($22.50/hr minimum) and are not reliant on tips.
Overall Expectation
Tipping in New Zealand is not expected.
Cultural Practice Koha
Visitors attending an event, gathering or ceremony may be expected to give koha. Koha is a kind of donation by the visitor to a Marae (a local Maori meeting house and grounds). It's a way of supporting the organizers and helping to pay for the running costs.
Card Acceptance
Broadly Accepted
- Description
- Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere — nearly 75% of all transactions in New Zealand are done with cards.
- Raglan Specific Note
- No surcharge in Raglan for card payments in many accommodations.
Less Common
- American Express
- Diners Club
Widely Accepted
- Visa
- Mastercard
Contactless And Chip Pin
- Chip Pin
- Standard
- Contactless
- Widely supported
- Description
- The most common methods in New Zealand are 'chip and PIN', where you put in your PIN when you make the purchase, or 'contactless' for small or medium purchases.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this money & payments research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.wise.com
- 2.finder.com
- 3.atmfeesaver.com
- 4.tripadvisor.co.nz
- 5.wise.com
- 6.moatrek.com
- 7.crowncurrency.com.au
- 8.wisemove.co.nz
- 9.nzpocketguide.com
- 10.newzealand-spirit.com
- 11.xe.com
- 12.investing.com
- 13.wise.com
- 14.xe.com
- 15.raglanmedical.co.nz
- 16.raglanpharmacy.co.nz
- 17.servicefinder.co.nz
- 18.westpac.banklocationmaps.com
- 19.rbnz.govt.nz
- 20.nzgoldenvisa.com
- 21.wise.com
- 22.en.wikipedia.org
More About Raglan
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.