For Roar and Rebecca, backing bold ideas isn’t new. The couple, originally from Denmark and Ireland, have called the Nelson Tasman region home for nearly two decades, building their successful real estate business K Real Estate while raising their two children.
But their latest venture is something entirely different.
Padel Centre Tasman was born from both passion and possibility. The idea was sparked during visits to Roar’s home in Denmark. A decade ago, padel was still relatively niche there, with only a handful of courts nationwide. Fast forward ten years, and the sport has exploded, growing to more than 1,500 courts and becoming a mainstream, social activity woven into everyday life.
“It’s become a huge part of how people socialise”, Roar says. “It gets people off their devices, out of their comfort zones and doing something active together. There’s a lot of laughter involved, and we don’t think there’s enough laughter in the world.”
After seeing that explosive growth of padel overseas, Roar and Rebecca saw an opportunity to bring something new, social and community-focused to the Nelson Tasman region.
When they began exploring the possibility of bringing padel to the region, the numbers didn’t exactly make for a conventional business case. At the time, there were only two padel courts in the whole of New Zealand.
"It was a leap of faith", Roar says.
There were no local statistics, no proven market here. We needed a finance partner who understood our vision.
That partner was NBS.
For Richmond Branch Manager Dan Binion-Cooper, it was exactly the kind of opportunity worth backing.
“When you’re working with people who have a strong track record and a clear vision, it’s about understanding the bigger picture”, he says. “Roar and Rebecca had done it before. This was about backing their experience and their belief in what the region could support.”
“Because NBS is local, you’re dealing with real people who know you”, Roar says. “They’ve seen us build a business from scratch before. They were willing to take a closer look at us – not just a spreadsheet – and make a pragmatic decision. That meant a lot.”
Today, NBS supports Roar and Rebecca across both business and personal banking, from commercial lending and property loans to transactional and day-to-day accounts.
One word Roar uses to describe their relationship with NBS is “easy”.
You can go in and actually talk to someone. When you need advice or you’re structuring lending, they’ll sit down with you and work through what’s best. You’re not just filling in a form that gets sent off somewhere to be assessed by someone who doesn’t know you.
The couple say that personal connection is what truly sets NBS apart. Beyond the banking relationship itself, Roar says NBS’ visible commitment to the community is another major differentiator.
“They’re genuine champions of the local community. They support local initiatives, they maintain their branches and they’re clearly investing back into the region. That’s the opposite of what we’re seeing elsewhere.”
For Dan, supporting ventures like Padel Centre Tasman is also about enabling broader community outcomes.
“Projects like this bring something new to the region”, he says. “They create spaces for people to connect, be active and try something different. That’s the kind of local enterprise we’re proud to support.”
That community focus mirrors the vision behind Padel Centre Tasman itself. Open from early morning until late evening, the self-service facility is designed to make it easy for people to be active, social and connected – whether they’re families, friends or adults looking for something different to do.
“There’s not a lot to do here when the weather turns bad”, Roar says. “We wanted to create a place people could come year-round, have some fun, get some cardio in and share a few laughs. Because it’s a doubles game, it’s inherently social. You’re interacting the whole time.”
It’s that sense of connection, both in business and in sport, that resonates most strongly when Roar reflects on NBS’ ethos of ‘banking for life’.
To me, banking for life is about providing a level of service that means people don’t want to leave. You build relationships. You build trust. And if that’s done properly, why would you go somewhere else?
From making changes to existing lending to managing more complex personal and business arrangements, Roar says the process has consistently been straightforward.
“Everything’s just been easy. They manage it well. There’s nothing that’s ever felt difficult.”
As business owners themselves, Roar and Rebecca regularly recommend NBS to others.
“If someone’s having issues with a mainstream bank, I often say, ‘Go and see NBS , they’re just so much easier to deal with.’ They’re really good people.”
For Roar and Rebecca, that personal service, local commitment and willingness to back ambition has made all the difference – both in business and in life.
