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Personal Banking Awards

Canstar's experts reward the financial institutions delivering the best banking products and services to Kiwi consumers.
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Banks of the Year Personal Banking Awards

Our awards reveal the banks that deliver the best overall transaction and savings accounts for Kiwi consumers.

2026 Bank of the Year
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Savings Accounts

This year mark's the ninth consecutive year that Heartland Bank has won our Bank of the Year Savings Award.

Our research team was, yet again, impressed by Heartland Bank’s market-leading suite of savings accounts and term deposits, which deliver some of the most competitive deposit rates in the market across notice and on-call accounts.

In the Regular Saver category, its 32 Day Notice Saver and 90 Day Notice Saver accounts earned top positions by offering meaningful returns for customers willing to plan their withdrawals in advance.

In the Flexible Saver category, Heartland Bank’s Digital Saver and Direct Call accounts were recognised by Canstar’s research team for pairing competitive returns with immediate, penalty-free fund access, a combination that can be difficult to find.

2026 Bank of the Year
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Everyday Banking

TSB claimed our Everyday Banking Award on the strength of a well-rounded product range that covers the full scope of day-to-day banking activities.

Its Connect Plus transaction account offers zero fees and unlimited transactions. While on the credit side, its LowRate Mastercard carries an 11.95% interest rate, one of the more accessible rates available to New Zealand cardholders.

The bank's strong performance in credit cards is why TSB is also the winner of Canstar's Bank of the Year Credit Cards Award.

Rounding out the package, TSB's Websaver account offers a 1% base rate with no withdrawal conditions attached, giving customers the flexibility to shift their money without affecting their returns.

Banks of the Year Personal Banking Awards Methodologies

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What are Canstar’s Banks of the Year Personal Banking Awards?

The Banks of the Year Personal Banking Awards recognise the institutions that offer the best financial services to Kiwi consumers across everyday banking and savings accounts.





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Which banks do we survey for our ratings?

Bank of the Year Everyday Banking Award: the financial institutions included in our award research: ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Heartland Bank, Kiwibank, SBS Bank, The Co-operative Bank, TSB, Unity and Westpac.

Bank of the Year Savings Award: the financial institutions included in our award research: ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Heartland Bank, Kiwibank, Rabobank, SBS Bank, The Co-operative Bank, TSB and Westpac.

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How do we determine the award winner?

For the Bank of the Year Everyday Banking Award, our expert research team uses a sophisticated rating methodology that compares banks' everyday account products, their usability and accessibility.

The methodology looks at transaction fees, account-keeping fees and interest rates. Plus, it rates the performance of a bank's credit-card products, across low-rate and rewards cards, and different spends, from $12,000 to $120,000.

The award research also includes consumer satisfaction based on feedback from over 2400 banking customers.

Our Bank of the Year Savings Award is presented to the financial institution that delivers its customers savings accounts that offer the best features, tools, flexibility and, of course, interest rates, as well as supporting savers through competitive term deposit products.

Full methodologies

Numbers Crunched

11Banks rated
4244Banking customers surveyed
1Savings Award winner
1Everyday Banking Award winner

Bank of the Year Digital Banking Award

Our award reveals the bank that delivers the best overall digital banking experience for Kiwi consumers.

2026 Bank of the Year
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Digital Banking

Awarding ASB Canstar's Bank of the Year Digital Banking title for the fifth year, our researchers noted that ASB continues to deliver one of the most complete digital offerings in the New Zealand market, across its ASB Mobile Banking app and FastNet Classic internet banking.

Our research shows that ASB distinguishes itself by providing a range of unique and innovative features that enhance the overall customer experience. These include:

Goal Planner: a tool for you to create savings goals. For example, for an emergency fund, a holiday, a wedding or a new car.

ASB Support Finder: by answering a few simple questions in the ASB Mobile Banking app, the bank helps connect you with government benefits and services that you might be eligible to receive.

Save the Change Tool: rounds up electronic transactions and moves the small change into a savings account. Or you can choose to also donate money to charities such as Hato Hone St John, KidsCan or Youthline.

ASB True Rewards: manage or redeem the points you earn via the ASB True Rewards online store.

Intelligent chatbot: ASB's chatbot Josie is able to recognise queries and hand them over to two-way messaging for personalised assistance via the ASB Mobile Banking app.

Our research team also highlighted ASB's strong digital security features, which include:

  • Card Control: allows customers to temporarily lock a lost card, switch off ATM withdrawals and set their own spending limits
  • Log-in alerts: flags suspicious digital banking sign-ins
  • In-app scam safety prompts: encourages customers to pause and double-check payments when unusual activity is detected.

Combined, ASB's security features allow bank customers to make use of the wide suite of digital banking tools available to them, without having to worrying about their on-line security.

Bank of the Year Digital Banking Award Methodology

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What is Canstar's Bank of the Year Digital Banking Award?

The Bank of the Year Digital Banking Award recognises the bank that offers the best digital services to its customers in New Zealand.

Star ratings icon

Which banks do we survey for our award?

Bank of the Year Digital Banking: the financial institutions included in our award research: ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank, SBS, The Co-operative Bank, TSB and Westpac.

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How do we determine the award winner?

The winning financial institution is the one that performs the best across our three award categories, and includes feedback from 4010 bank customers:

  • Functionality: includes the features and transactional ability across desktop and mobile banking.
  • User experience: recognises an institution's ability to offer an intuitive and user-friendly online banking platform.
  • Customer satisfaction: measures bank customers' satisfaction with their financial institutions.
Full methodology

Numbers Crunched

8Banks rated
3Award categories analysed
4010Banking customers surveyed
1Award winner

Outstanding Value Personal Banking Awards

Our awards reveal the banks that deliver the best transaction and savings accounts for Kiwi consumers. Winners are listed alphabetically:

2026 Outstanding Value Accounts
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Everyday

ASB's Everyday and Streamline Accounts each win an Outstanding Value Transaction Account Award due to their fee-free structures that feature:

  • $0 monthly base fees
  • $0 annual Visa Debit card fee
  • Control your accounts through the ASB Mobile Banking app
  • The Streamline is the same as the Everyday account but works as term-loan deduction account
  • Zero interest on balances
2026 Outstanding Value Accounts
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Everyday

BNZ's YouMoney everyday account is again a standout in our award ratings thanks to its many innovative features:

  • Connect up to two YouMoney accounts with a Flexi Debit Visa card
  • Discounted personal loan and overdraft rates available for students, graduates and apprentices
  • Move money quickly between accounts using a drag-and-drop feature, especially useful on the BNZ banking app
  • No transaction or monthly account fees
  • Pay via your phone using either Apple Pay or Google Pay
  • Personalise your payees with photos or icons
  • Unlimited withdrawals
  • Up to 25 accounts
2026 Outstanding Value Accounts
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Flexible SaverRegular Saver

Heartland Bank earns two Outstanding Value Awards across our Flexible Saver and Regular Saver award categories:

Flexible Saver

In addition to its Bank of the Year Savings Award Heartland's Digital Saver and Direct Call Accounts are both Outstanding Value Award winners. The two accounts are tailored for consumers who require flexibility, allowing them to deposit or withdraw cash instantly without facing penalties or notice periods.

Heartland's Digital Saver account offers:

  • Manual cash withdrawal from a Heartland branch incurs $10 fee
  • No minimum balance or monthly fees
  • Unlimited withdrawals to a nominated account

Heartland’s Direct Call account offers:

  • Control and manage account through internet banking
  • Immediate access to your money
  • No account management or transaction fees
  • No minimum balance or deposit

Regular Saver

Heartland's 32 Day Notice Saver & 90 Day Notice Saver accounts secured their Outstanding Value Awards due to their consistent performance offering some of the highest rates in the market. The accounts are designed to maximise interest growth, offering competitive rates in exchange for customers providing advance notice prior to making a withdrawal.

Heartland Bank’s 32 Day Notice Saver & 90 Day Notice Saver accounts offer:

  • Choose 32 days’ notice, or 90 days’ for an even higher rate
  • Great interest rates
  • Interest calculated daily and paid monthly
  • No fees
  • Partial sum withdrawal
2026 Outstanding Value Accounts
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Flexible SaverRegular Saver

Rabobank earns two Outstanding Value Awards across our Flexible Saver and Regular Saver award categories:

Flexible Saver

Rabobank's RaboSaver is a highly flexible savings option that offers one of the more competitive rates in the market for flexible, completely on-call savings accounts in New Zealand. Rabobank’s RaboSaver offers:

  • $0 account fees
  • Immediate access to your money via app or internet banking
  • Unlimited withdrawals

Regular Saver

In this year's award, Rabobank's PremiumSaver retains its Outstanding Value Award for its bonus conditional interest rate, which rewards consistent saving habits by requiring a minimum monthly balance increase of $50. Rabobank's PremiumSaver offers:

  • Extra interest for regular savers
  • Immediate access to your money via app or internet banking
  • No account fees or minimum account balance
  • Unlimited withdrawals
2026 Outstanding Value Accounts
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Regular Saver

The Co-operative Bank retains its Outstanding Value Award in our Regular Saver award category:

Regular Saver

The Co-operative Bank's Step Saver Account rewards users with a bonus interest tier when they meet specific monthly deposit growth and low-withdrawal conditions. The account's maximum interest rate is one of the highest offered in the NZ deposits market.

The Co-operative Bank's Step Saver Account offers:

  • Bonus interest rate every month your balance increases and you make no more than one withdrawal
  • Immediate access to your money via app or internet banking
  • No account management fees, but ATM and manual transaction fees apply
2026 Outstanding Value Accounts
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Everyday

Westpac's Everyday Account is again one of our winners thanks, in part, to its market-leading Airpoints Debit Card. The debit card is free for the first year, and to those under 19 years of age. It's NZ's only Debit Mastercard that allows you to earn Airpoints Dollars on your day-to-day spend: $1 Airpoints Dollar for every $300 spent.

Other features and tools offered by Westpac’s Everyday Account, include:

  • CashNav money-management app that automatically tracks your spending patterns
  • No monthly account or electronic transaction fees
  • Pay via your phone using either Apple Pay or Google Pay
  • Salary split: automatically move your salary into multiple accounts
  • Tailored accounts for children, teens and students, new NZ residents and business owners

Outstanding Value Personal Banking Awards Methodology

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What are Canstar’s Outstanding Value Personal Banking Awards?

Our Outstanding Value Personal Banking Awards recognise the financial institutions that offer the best bank accounts to consumers in New Zealand. The research encompasses everyday transaction accounts and savings accounts, across regular and flexible saver categories.

Star ratings icon

Which banks do we survey for our ratings?

Outstanding Value Everyday Accounts Awards: the financial institutions included in our award research: ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Heartland Bank, Kiwibank, SBS Bank, The Co-operative Bank, TSB, Unity and Westpac.

Outstanding Value Savings Accounts Awards: the financial institutions included in our award research: ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Heartland Bank, Kiwibank, Rabobank, SBS Bank, The Co-operative Bank, TSB and Westpac.

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How do we determine the award winner?

For our Outstanding Value Everyday Accounts Awards, our expert research team uses a sophisticated rating methodology to assess the everyday accounts that deliver the best levels of features – including fees, interest, customer service and support – across a customer's total journey with the account, from opening it, to using it for their regular day-to-day banking, and closing it. 

Canstar's Outstanding Value Savings Accounts Awards are presented to the financial institutions with savings accounts that deliver the best features and interest rates.

The awards are broken down into two saver categories:

  • Regular Saver: for more active savers who are willing to meet stricter conditions to achieve higher levels of interest.
  • Flexible Saver: for bank customers who want to maximise their savings while retaining easy access to their funds.

The different accounts from each financial institution are rated across a wide range of features – including fees, interest, customer service and support – across a customer's total journey with the account.

Full methodology

Numbers Crunched

11Banks rated
3Account categories rated
3Everyday Accounts winners
3Savings Accounts winners

Most Satisfied Customers Banking Award

Based on feedback from thousands of everyday Kiwis, our award rewards the bank rated No.1 for customer satisfaction.

2026 Most Satisfied Customers Award
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Small Business Banking

In our award ratings, TSB earned great customer reviews across all of our ratings categories, including perfect scores for: Ability to Meet Banking Needs, Communication, Digital Banking and, importantly, Customer Service – which was the biggest driver of satisfaction for the banking customers in our survey:

  • Ability to Meet Banking Needs
  • Communication
  • Customer Service
  • Digital Banking
  • Fees & Charges
  • Interest Rates
  • Value for Money

Most Satisfied Customers Banking Awards Methodology

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What is Canstar’s Most Satisfied Banking Award?

Canstar's Most Satisfied Customers Banking Award is based entirely on feedback from Kiwi banking customers and rewards the financial institution that earns the best reviews from its customers.

For this year's award, we asked 4010 banking customers to rate their financial institutions.

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Which banks do we survey for our ratings?

Seven banks met the criteria for our award, listed here in order of our research ranking: TSB Bank, The Co-operative Bank, Kiwibank, BNZ, ASB, ANZ, Westpac.

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What are the main drivers of satisfaction?

When rating their choice of bank, the consumers in our research cite Customer Service as the most important factor for delivering satisfaction.

Customer Service is closely followed by both Ability to Meet Banking Needs and Value for Money, revealing that when it comes to delivering satisfaction, traditional customer service and perceptions of value are far more important than bottom-line Fees & Charges and Interest Rates for bank customers.

Key drivers of borrower satisfaction:

  • Customer Service: 26%
  • Ability to Meet Banking Needs: 22%
  • Value for Money: 20%
  • Digital Banking: 13%
  • Communication: 8%
  • Fees & Charges:6%
  • Interest Rates: 5%
Full methodology

Numbers Crunched

4010Banking customers surveyed
7Banks assessed
7Ratings categories
1Award winner

About Canstar's Personal Banking Awards

Canstar's personal banking awards reveal the financial institutions that offer outstanding value and the best products and services designed to meet the banking needs of everyday Kiwis, from transaction and savings accounts to digital banking.

Financial products you can bank on

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FAQs about Canstar's personal banking awards

Joshua Sale's profile picture
Joshua SaleGroup Manager - Research & Ratings

As Canstar's Group Manager, Research & Ratings, Josh Sale is responsible for the methodology behind Canstar's diverse suite of Star Ratings and Awards and leads the teams that deliver them. With a background in economics and finance and a Master's in data science, Josh has spent the past ten years building ratings that help connect consumers with the right product for them.
Josh is passionate about helping consumers get hands-on with their finances. Josh has been interviewed by media outlets such as the Australian Financial Review, news.com.au and Money Magazine.
You can follow Josh on LinkedIn, and Canstar on X and Facebook.


Bruce Pitchers's profile picture
Bruce PitchersNZ Editor

Bruce Pitchers is Canstar's NZ Editor. An experienced finance reporter, he has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in Australia, the UK and NZ, including ACP, Are Media, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. As a freelancer, he has worked for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority and major banks and investment companies on both sides of the Tasman.
In his role at Canstar, he has been a regular commentator in the NZ media, including on the Driven, Stuff and One Roof websites, the NZ Herald, Radio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from Canstar, Bruce creates puzzles for magazines including Woman’s Day and New Idea. He is also the co-author of the murder-mystery puzzle book 5 Minute Murder.