Joining Unity is free. You can join by coming into a Unity branch. Find your closest branch here.

Or you can join online here.

When joining you will need to have at hand:

• A form of original identification (not photocopies) e.g. your driver licence or passport.
• Proof of your residential address e.g. bill or other bank account not less than 3 months old.

When you are a member of Unity, you have access to our member-only benefits such as:

• Great investment rates.
• Save money through competitive and fair loan rates.
• Member-only discounts on third-party services and prize draws.
• Real service - we listen to your needs.
• Plus lots more benefits.

Unity provides the same kind of products and services you'd find at a bank, however as a co-operatively owned credit union:

• We are not-for-profit, we serve you, our member-owners, not outside investors
• We are 100% NZ owned
• Our Board of Directors are elected by you, our members
• We educate members to help you achieve your financial goals
• We are not a registered bank

For any Credicare member enquiries please email credicare@unitymoney.co.nz or call us on 0800 229 943.

View the Credicare Product Terms. Please note that Unity is no longer accepting new members to join Credicare.

• You can find our Home Loan calculator here.
• You can find our Personal Loan calculator here.

Please find an extensive list of our interest rates here.

Please find an extensive list of our fees here.

Every loan application is individually assessed with your personal and financial circumstances taken into account. Please speak to someone at your local branch or call 0800 229 943 for more information.

If you are currently experiencing difficulties paying your loan, please call 0800 287 688 to speak to a member of our collections team.

Our team is here to assist and to work with you to come up with a suitable payment arrangement. 

If you took out Loan Protection Insurance, you may be able to make a claim.

If you meet the criteria, we may be able to make changes to your payments to enable a payment that is within your financial means.

You may be able to make a Hardship Application, please click here to find out more.

Are there organisations that can assist me with my finances?

If you need assistance with your finances, you can contact Moneytalks, they provide a free and independent service.

https://www.moneytalks.co.nz/

Freephone: 0800 345 123

Email: help@moneytalks.co.nz

Unity encourages you to make contact as soon as possible, so we can work together in an attempt to resolve the payment issues.

You can find details of all Unity branches here

You can find the locations of all Unity ATMs here

Reducing our carbon footprint and saving you money

All members receive their statements via email, unless you opt-out and choose paper statements instead which will incur a fee. 

When sending or receiving a payment from overseas, the SWIFT code identifies the receiving (recipient) bank or financial institution.

Unity's SWIFT code is: WPACNZ2W

What does this mean

New Zealand has committed to the OECD Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI).

International tax compliance regulations have been introduced to protect the integrity of tax systems around the world. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) enable the exchange of customers’ foreign tax residency information between countries and are intended to help combat global tax evasion.

Unity Credit Union, along with other financial institutions, are now required to identify, collect and report information about customers’ foreign tax residency to New Zealand Inland Revenue. Inland Revenue may then share this information with the relevant tax authority, if an agreement is held with that country.

To meet our obligations we now ask for foreign tax information when an account is first opened with us, or if you’re already a customer, we may also contact you if we think you could be a foreign tax resident.

What information do I need to provide

Unity’s obligations cover all our customers, including entities such as trusts, registered incorporated societies. Customers need to provide both the tax residency details and their ‘TIN’.

A TIN is a unique combination of letters and/or numbers assigned by a country to an individual or an entity and used to identify the individual or entity for the purposes of administering the tax laws of that country.

We will also ask you questions to ensure we have the correct personal details, such as your contact information.

Further details of TINS can be found on the OECD Website.

Who can provide this information

You'll need to provide your own overseas tax residency information to Unity, unless you're a child or have a Power of Attorney (POA). If you're a parent or guardian, you'll need to provide this information on behalf of your child. You'll also need to provide proof of your relationship to them, as well as your photo ID.

• For children 12 years and under this information must always be provided by a parent or guardian.
• For children 13 years and over this information must be provided by a parent or guardian if they open the account for them.
• If you have a Power of Attorney, your POA can provide this information on your behalf.

Update my tax residency

To update your tax residency information, please complete a Self-Certification Declaration.

What will Unity do with the information you provide

Unity will hold any information received on your customer record. This information will be securely held and only be used to enable us to meet our legal obligations.

What happens if I provide Unity with incorrect information

IRD are able to penalise anyone who provides false or misleading information, or who fail to provide information.

What is a tax resident

What’s defined as a tax resident varies from country to country. For information on New Zealand tax residency you can visit the IRD website: Tax residency status for individuals (ird.govt.nz). If you remain uncertain you should speak to a tax adviser.

Further information

For more information about the international tax compliance regulations you can search “FATCA’ or ‘CRS’ on the New Zealand Inland Revenue Website.

The funds in your account become classed as unclaimed funds under the Unclaimed Monies Act 1971 if you haven’t transacted on your account(s) with Unity for five years or more and you haven’t contacted us to make arrangements for the account(s) or we’ve been unable to contact you.

Unity will notify you by mail, email and/or text message (based on contact information we hold) about funds that may become unclaimed money and that the account will be closed, if you do not take steps to operate the account or contact us. Any unclaimed money greater than $100 (NZD) will be transferred to the IRD if we don’t hear from you. Once unclaimed money is transferred to the IRD, you will need to contact them to claim the funds.

It’s important you keep your personal details with us up to date so we can contact you, such as your email, phone number and address.

If your account is no longer needed, you can close it and have the balance paid to you. If you would like to continue using the account, simply make a transaction on the account to keep it active or simply call us on 0800 229 943.

A Kids saver account can only be opened in your child's name and in branch.

A parent or guardian must open the account, which will be linked to your Unity member profile number. Proof of parent/guardian relationship is needed e.g. birth certificate or guardianship order.

A Kids saver is for a child between the ages of 1 month - 10 years. This means that a parent or guardian can be an authorised signatory on the account.

As an authorised signatory, this means:

• You do not own the money in the account.
• No cards are issued to the account.
• View only access via Internet or Mobile banking.

You and the child may withdraw funds via any Unity branch.

A power of attorney is a legal document that enables you, the “donor”, to give authority to someone else, the “attorney”, to act on your behalf. They must act in your best interests and always protect your welfare. The Power of Attorney document is usually prepared by a Solicitor.

If something happens to you and you are unable or unwilling to make decisions about yourself, someone will need to make decisions for you. If you do not have a power of attorney set up, your family will have to apply to the Family Court to be given the power to act on your behalf. This can take time and be costly.

There are two types of Power of Attorney – a Standard “Ordinary” Power of Attorney and, an Enduring Power of Attorney.

An “Ordinary” Power of Attorney (POA) can be general or specific and are best used for temporary purposes – for example, if you are going overseas. This type will usually be for a specific term or will immediately be revoked if you die or become mentally incapable of making decisions.

An Enduring Power of Attorney (EPOA) is used for longer term protection and continues even when you become mentally incapacitated and unable to make decisions. You can structure an EPOA to take immediate effect or in the event you become incapable of making decisions. There are two different types of Enduring Power of Attorney – one is Personal Care and Welfare, the other is for Property (bank accounts etc.)

They can:

• Process deposits and withdrawals
• Set up and close Term Deposits
• Obtain account information
• Open new accounts for existing members
• Load or alter bill payments or automatic payments
• Close accounts
• Update account details (e.g. postal address)

They can't:

• Apply or transact for loans or overdrafts on behalf
• Add any additional signatories to the account or ATO authorizing themselves or another person to access the donor's account(s)
• Access any products and services the account holder would be eligible for (e.g. cards or digital banking)

In branch: 

• Contact us to make an appointment at your local branch for both you and your attorney
• Bring with you an original or certified copy of the Power of Attorney document along with any other supporting documents such as Certificate of Non-revocation and Suspension, letter from medical practitioner (if applicable), acceptable ID for your attorney (such as driver’s licence or passport) as well as proof of current address (dated within last 3 months)

For full details of acceptable ID visit here.

Please contact us to discuss other options if there is no local branch available.

The Depositor Compensation Scheme is a safety net to protect your money. It will be implemented by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand from 1 July 2025.

• Everyday accounts
• Everyday unlimited accounts
• Freedom accounts
• Bill payment accounts
• Online saver accounts
• Everyday saver accounts
• Christmas saver accounts
• Kids saver accounts
• Term deposits
  

No, there are no fees for your money to be protected by the Depositor Compensation Scheme. It will be funded by registered New Zealand financial providers.

In the unlikely event of your financial provider’s failure, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand will handle getting your money back to you. The exact timeframe could vary depending on the circumstances and complexity of your accounts.

For detailed information and how the Depositor Compensation applies to your specific trust, please refer to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand website.