"It's great for the staff who have been heavily involved in doing the bilingual signage and making sure it has that Maori/iwi involvement."
As the first bilingual branch in the country, Mr Atkinson said Rotorua was the natural home for the taonga.
"It's the first bilingual branch here in New Zealand, it paved the way for the rest of the branches.
"I think that for a big organisation like ours to embrace Maori language is what we do need.
"Rotorua acknowledges iwi as the heart of the region and bringing it down here shows Rotorua this is where we believe the award sits."
Mr Atkinson said Westpac did a number of things to support iwi and Maori, including an iwi cadet scheme and its involvement with Te Wiki o te Reo Maori (Maori Language Week) in July this year.
Rotorua's branch also displays signs in te reo and English, a project to be extended nationwide.
Pukeroa Oruawhata Group chairman Malcolm Short said Ngati Whakaue were pleased to be represented at the powhiri.
"It's really a pleasure on behalf of Ngati Whakaue and Te Arawa as a whole that our Maori language is being revived in such a way that it's coming into the banks."
Ngati Whakaue kaumatua Pihopa Kingi said with a lot of central North Island treaty settlements occurring, it was important to have a regional bank with a bilingual focus.