Heartland Bank teams up with NZ Young Farmers to support rural youth

NZ Young Farmers chief executive Terry Copeland.

Heartland Bank has teamed up with NZ Young Farmers to support young people at the forefront of the rural industry.

The agri-food sector is a vital part of New Zealand's economy and needs young, talented people to fuel it into the future, said Chris Cowell, head of rural at Heartland Bank.

"NZ Young Farmers is an impressive organisation with a footprint of 80 clubs. It provides young people with information, advice, training and networking opportunities, and Heartland is excited to be part of the wider team."

The partnership gives Heartland an opportunity to get its livestock finance in front of the young people, who are part of the next rural generation, he said.

"We're immensely proud of our livestock finance products, which trade under the Open for Livestock banner. We want to raise awareness of how they can help give young farmers a leg-up, whether it be buying cattle or sheep for trading, or entering the dairy industry as sharemilkers."

NZ Young Farmers said it was partnering with a company whose heritage was firmly planted in rural New Zealand.

"Heartland's roots stretch back to 1875 when the Ashburton Permanent Building and Investment Society was created," said NZ Young Farmers chief executive Terry Copeland.

"The bank is a big supporter of rural communities and we believe it will be an excellent fit with our organisation."

Heartland said its Open for Livestock platform was designed with speed and simplicity.

"We know farmers are busy and that sometimes opportunities present themselves without warning, which is why we offer a simple online application process. With Open for Livestock, farmers can apply for 100 per cent stock finance any time, on any device and get a decision within minutes."