Self-proclaimed cash advocate and MP Jamie Arbuckle believes his proposed law protecting hard currency transactions is about more than accessibility — it’s also about privacy and preventing “Big Brother” surveillance.
The New Zealand First MP’s members’ legislation, the Cash Transactions Protection Bill, would require vendors to accept cash up to the value of $500, with no limits on the amount of cash that must be accepted for essential items like fuel and food.
“There’s a real concern across New Zealand that we’re becoming a cashless society, and we’ve got a lot of people who depend on cash,” the MP told Q+A.
He said that particularly applied to people living in rural areas, the elderly who are more comfortable using cash than digital systems, and those on low incomes.
A self-professed fan of using cash, Arbuckle said, “cash is king, and you can call me Mr Cash Man if you like.”
“I’ve got to tell you right now, I don’t like walking into a shop and not being able to pay cash for a coffee.”
But he said in an increasingly digital world, there was a more serious point to be made about the ability to make anonymous payments.
“People are telling me they want to have the ability to use cash, it’s a freedom of choice issue.”
“It’s really the only true way of having privacy in a transaction. You don’t get that with electronic payments. There’s always the concern that Big Brother or someone is able to look at where you’ve been, what you’ve purchased, so the majority of people have been very positive about protecting cash use.”
A Reserve Bank survey released in June 2025 found that — while electronic and debit card use was by far the most common method of making payments — a significant minority of the country continued to use cash regularly.
Around 46% of respondents said they used cash “to pay for everyday things”, down slightly from 48% which an equivalent survey found in June 2023.
The survey also found a majority had used cash at least once in the seven days preceding the survey being taken, with approximately 33% of respondents saying they hadn’t used cash in the last week, and a further 3.6% saying they would never use cash.
Further research undertaken last year by the Reserve Bank found Kiwis value being able to use physical cash.
Director of money and cash Ian Woolford said, “84% of respondents were worried about losing access to banknotes and coins, and want assurance that cash will still be issued by the Reserve Bank and not reduced or replaced by digital cash.”
“We’ll keep issuing cash for as long as New Zealanders want to use it,” he said in December.
“We’re doing a lot of work to redesign the cash system, including helping retailers through community cash services trials next year in several rural communities lacking over-the-counter bank or ATM services.”
Some businesses have moved to being cash-free, but Arbuckle said in his view, it couldn’t be an opt-in and opt-out system.
“The majority of businesses hold cash, so we’re only talking about a small amount of businesses that would have to change.
“Cash is legal tender, and you should be able to purchase with cash.”
He said if the bill is pulled out of the member’s bill biscuit tin, he’d welcome feedback from businesses that might be affected during the select committee process.
Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air
