Hamilton City Council Chief Executive Richard Briggs says a multinational bank’s move of its New Zealand head office to Hamilton is a significant boon for the city and region.

Agri-business lender Rabobank announced today (4 October) that its corporate headquarters will be relocating from Wellington to Hamilton in 2021/22.

Rabobank will build a purpose-built ‘centre of excellence’ in Hamilton’s CBD, to support its 32 offices and 350 employees across New Zealand.

The head office will incorporate the bank’s Hamilton branch and staff, and eventually hold around 80 roles once the relocation is complete.

Mr Briggs is welcoming Rabobank’s move as proof of Hamilton’s appeal as a business centre.

“Hamilton’s GDP has been increasing more than the national average since the end of 2017, CBD spending is up, tourism guest nights continue to grow and the number of businesses in the CBD is the highest for 10 years,” he says.

“We are one of the fastest-growing cities in New Zealand, which is having a direct impact on our economy.”

Rabobank CEO Todd Charteris says the Waikato region’s growth was a factor in choosing Hamilton.

“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 says.

Rabobank operates in 38 countries, with around 8.4M clients worldwide through a network of close to 1000 offices and branches.

“With Hamilton being home to Rabobank NZ’s head office, we can expect visits from the organisation’s staff from around the country and world, bringing further economic benefits to our city,” says Mr Briggs.

In another boost for Hamilton, Waikato Innovation Park announced this week that it will build a $14M 2900-sqm building at its Ruakura site in a bid to attract Auckland companies to the Waikato.

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