Irrigation Specialists

Richard’s passion has always been farming. Born in Blenheim, he soon moved to Christchurch where he grew up and attended Christchurch Boys High School before gaining a Bachelor of Commerce in Agriculture from Lincoln University. There, he majored in Farm Management and Rural Valuation which set him up to join The Rural Bank in 1992 based in Invercargill.

Four years later, Richard and his wife embarked on 18 months of travel which took them to London, extensively throughout Europe, parts of Asia and into Africa. With their photos and memories, they headed back to Christchurch where Richard was appointed ASB Rural Credit Manager. It was from here that Richard began his entrenchment into ASB Rural.

Moving from Farmline, through to mainstream Rural and finally into Rural Corporate where he now leads a team of 25, Richard has had a specific focus on irrigation. Eight years working collaboratively with shareholders of irrigation schemes has seen Richard gain considerable knowledge and expertise in this area - an area so critical in sustaining the productive landscape of New Zealand.

A qualified chartered accountant, Ray is former CEO of Tasman Agriculture, which was listed on the NZSE in 1992 and grew to become the world's largest pastoral dairy farm owning company, with farms located in the South Island and Northwest Tasmania. Following the successful sell-down of farms owned by Tasman Agriculture, Ray was employed by Fonterra Co-op Group as GM Shareholder Services and played an integral part in the establishment of systems required to manage Fonterra’s shareholder base post-merger/integration of NZ Dairy Group and Kiwi Co-op.

In 2002 Ray developed his own business specialising in private investment and management consultancy work with a focus on New Zealand’s commercial and rural sectors.  This has included acting for equity investors (both New Zealand and overseas) in assessing acquisition opportunities, working with New Zealand companies in potential mergers, and facilitating strategic planning sessions.

Tim has over ten years financial services sector experience, both within New Zealand and internationally. Tim joined the ASB Rural Corporate team in November 2015 after spending five years abroad working as a Corporate Credit Analyst for Standard & Poor’s (S&P) in London, and then Melbourne.

During his time at S&P, Tim covered industry sectors including transportation infrastructure, real estate and retail. Tim also has experience working with a large Australasian New Zealand bank in relationship management and credit roles.

Tim has a strong agricultural background and an interest in irrigation, having grown up on an irrigated farm in North Canterbury. Tim is a director of his family’s farming business and is actively involved. Tim holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) and a Post Graduate Certificate from Lincoln University. Tim is a Member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.