Award confirms National Bank’s strength in rural sector

27 March 2012

Award confirms National Bank’s strength in rural sector

A strong understanding of the rural sector and its banking needs are at the heart of the National Bank’s successes in the CANSTAR Agribusiness NZ Awards, announced today.

National Bank was named the inaugural Best Agribusiness Bank New Zealand by the financial services research and ratings group CANSTAR. CANSTAR compared five major agribusiness banks on overall value and the quality of their products and services.

“It is a great honour for National Bank to be named Best Agribusiness Bank,” Graham Turley, ANZ New Zealand’s Managing Director Commercial and Agri, says.

“The award is testament to the commitment and hard work of our people. Their knowledge, experience and relationships in the rural sector has enabled us to provide a range of products and services that best meets the needs of rural businesses and rural people.

"Together, National Bank and ANZ are New Zealand's biggest rural lender and have the most extensive rural banking network. We are constantly looking at ways to grow the industry and support the people in it, such as our new $120 million start-up package for young farmers.”

Strengths highlighted by the awards judges include customers' access to a force of 173 dedicated Agribusiness Managers plus a 24-hour agribusiness call centre and free farming seminars.

Mr Turley said farming had never been more important to New Zealand.

“New Zealand’s economic future will be with the growth economies of Asia, and the rural sector will be at the forefront of our future trade with those markets,” Mr Turley says.

“As part of the ANZ group, National Bank is uniquely placed to connect agri customers to growth markets in Asia. We can help get farm products from NZ gates to Asian plates.”

ENDS

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