Rabobank’s new Whakatane branch at 23 Quay Street opened in style on Tuesday 22 September with clients, staff and local rural professionals coming together to celebrate the event.

Rabobank general manager Country Banking New Zealand Ben Russell was on hand to formally open the premises and says it is a testament to the strength of agriculture in the region.

"The Bay of Plenty region has experienced strong growth in agriculture in recent years particularly in dairy and horticulture. Our client base has grown here and we are pleased to be able to provide them with a more local and personalised service," he said.

"2009 has been a difficult year for many farmers with the impact of turbulent economic conditions felt acutely across rural New Zealand. Fortunately we are now starting to see some favourable trends developing. There has been some recent improvement in international dairy prices, and we have also seen the start of the process of rebuilding farm gate dairy prices with yesterdays increased payout announcement by Fonterra.

"Rabobank is committed to New Zealand agriculture, starting life as a cooperative formed by Dutch farmers 110 years ago to finance other farming enterprises, we now operate in 46 countries and our main focus remains agriculture."

Whakatane branch manager Cameron Peat is thrilled with the support that has already been shown by the local community.

"Of course our existing clients are delighted that we are now just around the corner but I am really happy with the amount of people that have popped into the branch office to see what Rabobank is all about," he said.

Originally from Whakatane and formerly located in Rabobank’s Te Puke branch, Cameron said he looks forward to promoting Rabobank’s focus on food and agribusiness in such a strong farming region.

"Rabobank have a great suite of products and services to offer including loans, equipment finance, deposits, succession facilitation and our world class food and agribusiness research team that provide up to date analysis on the key agribusiness sectors. With these services we hope to provide our clients with valuable insights to help with their business decisions," Cameron said.

"Myself along with rural manager Phil Williams and finance officer Matt Russell encourage those that are interested to find out more about Rabobank to contact the Whakatane branch on (07) 307 2540."

Alternatively you can contact Rabobank on 0800 722 622.