Originally from South Canterbury, Mr Laming
moved to Timaru five years ago to manage agri-corporate relationships for ANZ.
He is now a client director at NZAB Timaru (previously New Zealand Agri-Brokers), having been with the business for nearly two years.
He looked after a portfolio of clients with a focus around financial advisory and day-to-day banking relationships.
"It is all about using banking experience to work alongside agriculture businesses and ensure they have the best advice and credit they can," he said.
Mr Laming grew up on a sheep, beef and cropping farm in Waimate and attended Lincoln University to complete an agriculture commerce degree.
The farm he grew up on was never big enough to enable a succession process and he wanted to continue to be involved in the agriculture sector.
He wanted to stay as close to farming as he could, sparking the motivation to work side by side and help people’s businesses succeed.
Mr Laming believed it was important to focus on farming businesses taking ownership of their financial position and strategy, so to set their own course in what they wanted to achieve.
His unifying force was to get farmers what they deserved, recognising any business needed to earn the right for the best access to capital.
"Generally speaking, it is all about access to capital," he said.
"We work with farming business on financial management and strategic planning, doing whatever it takes to put agriculture businesses in the best position possible to access that capital."
NZAB came out of what was a changing dynamic between agri-banks and farmers, where previously the bank and banker were highly connected to the business.
"We think our role in agribusiness is quite significant. Banks wanted to pull back from active involvement which allowed more independence and created a gap for advisory businesses, where NZAB got its start."
Farmers needed to be in a position to access capital under the best terms and conditions, in an environment competing against the housing and business sectors.
