ANZ commits $7m to boost rural presence
ANZ today announced it would commit up to $7 million during the next three years to strengthen the presence of its Rural
business in New Zealand.
The announcement coincides with ANZ's tenth anniversary as Major Sponsor and Strategic Partner of the New Zealand
National Agricultural Fieldays at Mystery Creek.
ANZ's Head of Rural Wayne Besant said the needs of clients in rural areas were evolving rapidly and the bank needed to
boost the number of Rural Managers in the field and invest more heavily in training to strengthen ANZ's presence as a
leading provider of rural financial solutions in New Zealand.
"We're not as strong as we'd like to be in the rural market in New Zealand. If we want to enhance the personalised
support ANZ provides to clients and expand our business, then we've got to invest further in our people and build our
capabilities by recruiting additional Rural staff," said Mr Besant.
ANZ will add up to 10 new Rural Managers to support clients in the King Country, Waikato and South Canterbury regions in
the next few months. The bank will also invest in further support and training for all Rural Managers to ensure they
continue to excel in meeting the changing financial needs of clients.
ANZ's association with Fieldays extends back more than 30 years, when the bank provided finance for the very first
Fieldays at Hamilton Race Course - security for the loan was just one coil of copper wire. ANZ also financed the
purchase of the site at Mystery Creek and more recently, the development of the Mystery Creek Events Centre and the
Pavilion extension.
"Fieldays is a natural fit for ANZ which has a long history of working with Kiwis on the land to help them grow their
personal and business wealth," said Mr Besant.
"In the same way Fieldays grew from a small idea and a coil of copper wire, ANZ's Rural business is focused on fostering
innovation and invention and helping clients turn their smart ideas into reality," he said.
ANZ's support of Fieldays joins a range of other initiatives by the bank to support farming in New Zealand, including
raising awareness of sustainable farming through the Balance Farm Environment Awards and encouraging clients to further
develop their strategic farm management skills through ANZ's Rural Scholarships program.