Bill, who has retired this year after a career as a rural bank manager spanning 40 years, said the most important thing in the world of banking was the people, followed by their business. Finance came third.
"It’s all about the people. I’ve done the job because of people, not just transactions," he said.
Bill’s nomination described him as a steadfast pillar of the rural community, providing unwavering support, wisdom and financial guidance to countless farmers and agricultural businesses.
"Bill’s commitment to rural New Zealand goes far beyond banking. He has been an advocate for farmers, championing their success and ensuring they have the tools and knowledge to thrive.
"His passion for the industry is unmatched but what truly sets him apart is his deep care for the people behind it. He understands the unique challenges of rural life and has dedicated his career to empowering those who work the land.
"His boundless energy, sharp financial expertise and genuine concern for farmers have made him not only a trusted adviser but also a cherished member of the rural community."
He might have retired this year but his impact would remain through a legacy of strength, support and rural success, it said.
Bill recalled how he started at the Rural Bank with handwritten reports, party-line telephones, farm-location maps, land development encouragement loans, swamps being drained, bush being cleared and tussock blocks ploughed.
He finished at ANZ with laptops with AI, smartphones, google maps with vehicle navigation, green loans, wetlands being created, natives planted and land fenced for reserves and QEII covenants.
Bill grew up on a small dairy farm in the Waikato and completed a commerce degree in agriculture at Lincoln. During the practical component, he worked for the Kane family, between Luggate and Tarras, who became close friends.
He got to like the South and stayed, also spending time on other farms gaining both practical experience and credibility for his career.
The highlights had been the people he had worked with, colleagues and customers. Relationship banking worked well with mutual trust and communication and he coined a phrase at Wanaka A and P Show this year — transactions pay the bills but relationships make the memories.
Retirement was the right thing to do; his advice to farmers had always been to get out a couple of years early rather than a couple of years late, so he reckoned he needed to take his own advice.
He was looking forward to "getting out and doing things", more physical exercise, some golf, and duck-shooting on a pond at Clydevale on his wife’s family farm, where a QEII covenant has been placed and about 1000 natives had been planted.
— Sally Rae
