With no strategic reason for Rabobank New Zealand’s head office to be located in Wellington, TwentyTwo’s recent strategic work with the specialist food and agri bank started four years ago and resulted in the successful move of their head office from Wellington to Hamilton in December 2021.
The move was initiated in 2018 soon after Todd Charteris was appointed as the bank’s new CEO. Todd, along with the then Chair, Sir Henry van der Hayden, and the leadership team set about transforming the business for its next growth phase, which included a review of whether Wellington was the best location for the head office.
“Whatever Rabobank’s final choice for its head office was” says Duncan Mitchell, TwentyTwo’s Practice Lead for Strategy, “they wanted it to signal to the market that they are a food and agri bank and wanted to be located close to customers. They also wanted their corporate staff to be immersed in NZ’s agri economy so key decisions could be based on an empathetic approach.”
With Hamilton and Christchurch shortlisted as the preferred locations, Hamilton was the final choice due to its close connection to farmers and food producers, including a number of wholesale clients. An added benefit was Hamilton’s proximity to Auckland and Tauranga and associated services.
“We then undertook a search for high-quality buildings with the opportunity for brand expression” says Duncan “and found a new development by Fosters within the first stage of their Union Square development at the south end of Hamilton’s CBD.”
Understanding the key drivers
“My experience of working with TwentyTwo” says Todd “has been focused on understanding the key drivers of our approach. Duncan took the time to understand our business strategy and aims and how the premise of these supported our decisions. Without jumping straight into solution mode, he recognised our drivers and defined the opportunities.”
The Rabobank Centre, as it is called, opened its doors to around 80 Rabobank New Zealand employees, 50 head office staff and the Waikato regional team in early December 2021.
“Located at heart of the vibrant Waikato food and agri region, the new Rabobank Centre will be a place where our employees, farmers and community leaders can come together to share ideas to further advance the industry and to help the bank’s clients achieve their goals,” said Todd on its opening.
Getting closer to clients
“This is about making a statement about who we are and what we stand for. It’s about helping us embed a mindset across our business centred on getting closer to our clients, regardless of where we work across New Zealand, so we can make even better and more effective decisions for them.
“Over six months after the move, it’s been well-received by our clients from across NZ, from our local community here in the Waikato, to as far south as Gore. The success has been in the strategic business alignment and commitment to our rural customers, getting closer to our core communities” he continues.
“The Waikato is a real hub for food and agri innovation and development and we feel we are now ideally positioned to support our clients and to further grow our New Zealand business.”
The new office provides a range of spaces to enable staff to work at their best with workspaces for everything, from focused individual work through to collaborative team work and formal presentations. The idea is for staff to move around the office and find the work environment that best fits the task they’re undertaking.
The bank’s commitment to its clients and the wider agricultural sector was another key consideration in the office fitout. “We wanted some of the very best materials. And we wanted to support the New Zealand wool industry” says Todd. “So we sourced wool from three clients around the country — the Chrystalls from Taihape, the Sutherlands from South Otago and the Olivers from the King Country — to produce carpet for the new office. We’re proud to have something that’s been produced by our clients featuring prominently in our new building” says Todd.
Reflecting the dawn light
Several other features also reflect the bank’s food and agri focus, including the Dawn Wall artwork displayed at reception, which has been fabricated using a range of timber louvres with lighting and a three-dimensional map of New Zealand. “This represents dawn light and is a nod to the fact that many of our clients are up early and get to experience the dawn.”
“Rabobank holds a special place in our professional journey” says TwentyTwo’s Dean Croucher. “We were first engaged by former NZ GM Doug Crombie in 1998 to help them procure their first New Zealand branch in Christchurch. We were then retained to roll out Rabobank’s initial branch network across provincial New Zealand over three years – a challenging project which often involved working with first-time property investors and developers to find suitable sites and premises. The relationship has endured and we continued to support Rabobank in NZ with new sites and HQ property decisions.”
Rabobank
