In proper American form, I arrived in New Zealand clueless it is hosting the Rugby World Cup in two weeks – a massive event boosting a level of national excitement akin to the FIFA or the Olympics – and excited to check out how it handles its unbanked and underbanked, only to realize it has none.  Google “New Zealand Un(der)banked” and you will find a disappointing nary.

Like most of the rest of the world, prepaid cards in New Zealand are more common and not primarily for the underserved.  The latest innovation in prepaid is here, in honor of the Rugby World Cup, natch.  Low fees and very high load limits – max daily load is NZ$20,000 – sounds like a patriotic invitation for fraudulent use to this observer, but perhaps I’m just jaded.

I have found not one check casher or payday lender or even finance company in Auckland’s urban or lower income neighborhoods.  Just friendly KiwiBank ATMs.  Guess I’ll cheer for The Back, the hometown team, and that the country’s underbanked are in the black.