"We are loving being closer into the vibe of Tennyson Street," he said.
Board chairman Sir Eion Edgar said Napier Mayor Bill Dalton was once "a wonderful stockbroker".
"He has made life a lot easier for the rest of the brokers now that he has retired," he said.
Sir Selwyn Cushing, who jointly owns the firm's Hastings branch, was "a wonderful friend of the firm".
"Hawke's Bay's own favourite lady" Tina Symmonds, who joined the board about eight months ago, had made "a fantastic contribution", Sir Eion said.
Mr Kirk is also familiar with Hawke's Bay.
He captained the All Blacks to victory in the Rugby World Cup final in 1987. The Rhodes Scholar worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Co. in London before serving as Chief Policy Advisor for the New Zealand Government.
He was CEO of Fairfax in 2006 when it bought Trade Me for $700 million. He become acquainted with Hawke's Bay businessman Rod Drury who sat on the Trade Me Advisory board.
They accompanied Prime Minister John Key to Australia recently to meet the country's political and corporate elite.
Mr Kirk said he often visits Hawke's Bay - his wife was originally from Porangahau and still owned a bach in Pourerere.
He said he played at McLean Park just once, representing Otago, which lost the match.
He said for the Rugby World Cup the All Blacks were based in Hawke's Bay immediately before the tournament, when Mr Kirk, John Hart, Craig Green and Gary Whetton went horse riding in Waipukurau.
"John Hart's horse bolted - you wouldn't be able to do that today if you are a professional rugby player. It was three days before our first World Cup game. It's all very serious now."
