Rabobank New Zealand will progressively move its corporate head office to Hamilton, in a move that will see the specialist rural lender relocate to one of New Zealand’s largest and growing agri-business regions.
Plans are underway to develop a new, purpose-built agri ‘centre of excellence’ in Hamilton’s CBD as the new base for the bank’s corporate head office roles, to be colocated with staff from Rabobank’s current Hamilton office.
Rabobank NZ CEO Todd Charteris says the move, from the bank’s current head office location in Wellington, is an opportunity for the business to support its growth strategy into the future as New Zealand’s only specialist food and agribusiness bank.
“With our strong network of food and agribusiness connections, several of our regional offices located nearby and the close proximity of other food-producing regions, we believe moving to the Waikato will set us up for a future of growth alongside our clients,” he said.
“Basing our corporate head office closer to food and fibre production in the centre of a major agricultural region is part of our commitment to the rural sector. Our corporate team wants to embrace the food and farming mindset, so we can really understand the opportunities and challenges farmers face and further develop our offering to meet their future needs.”
Rabobank will progressively relocate the corporate head office roles to Hamilton between early 2021 and January 2022, when it is expected around 80 roles will be based in Hamilton.
The bank will also retain significant operations in Wellington for the foreseeable future through its IT and Operations teams, totalling some 70 people. All up, the bank currently employs more than 350 people across its network of 32 offices throughout New Zealand.
A staff consultation process was completed before Rabobank New Zealand’s board confirmed the relocation decision.
“We will make this move over the next two years, with the least impact possible on our people and clients and look forward to further introducing ourselves to the communities of Hamilton and the wider Waikato,” Mr Charteris said.
Rabobank New Zealand is a part of the global Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 120 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 40 countries, servicing the needs of about 10 million clients worldwide through a network of close to 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank New Zealand is one of the country's leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the New Zealand food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 32 offices throughout New Zealand.
Media contacts:
David Johnston
Media Relations Manager
Rabobank New Zealand
Phone: 04 819 2711 or 027 477 8153
Email: david.johnston@rabobank.com
Denise Shaw
Head of Media Relations
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
Phone: +612 8115 2744 or +61 2 439 603 525
Email: denise.shaw@rabobank.com