Rejected by His Own Bank, Funded by Another: How Speaking Banking Language Turned No into Yes
Company
Norm Brown has run Mohaka Rafting and Te Pōhue Camp in Hawke's Bay, serving the adventure tourism and camping sectors in a region known for its rugged beauty and tight-knit communities.
The Challenge
- Norm needed help securing funding for Te Pōhue Camp after his bank rejected the proposal, despite backing from Deloitte consultants.
The Partnership
- Lani spoke the banking language Norm didn’t — translating his operational expertise into projections his new bank could approve.
The Results
- Secured funding after initial bank rejection
- Paid off loan in three years
- Built a camp that served the Te Pōhue community as a disaster relief hub during Cyclone Gabrielle
The Challenge
Norm Brown had always been driven by passion. As an engineer by trade and owner of Mohaka Rafting, he knew his strengths lay in operations and community service, not financial management.
“I'm not a very financial person,” Norm says.
He'd initially connected with Lani Fogelberg when purchasing a 35-seater bus for the rafting business. Later, when he was struggling with his financials, Norm sent Lani a message asking if she'd help a “rafting company lost in the wilderness.” He admits he was being tongue in cheek because Lani "seemed a bit too high-flying to deal with a little rafting company."
Her response was immediate and direct — she came straight back asking about his business, his financials, and his aims.
When COVID hit and the government encouraged businesses to modernise and plan for post-pandemic operations, Norm saw an opportunity. He had an idea for establishing a campground at Te Pōhue.
Norm approached ASB, his existing bankers, for funding. They rejected the application.
“I was a bit shocked. A high-flying guy from Deloitte supported it. And Lani. For them to turn us down pretty flat, well...”
The rejection stung. Here was a viable project with expert backing, turned down by the very bank that already knew his business.
The Partnership
This is where Lani's particular skill set became invaluable. Norm knew what he wanted to do. He understood the tourism business and the community need. What he didn't have was the ability to translate that knowledge into the language banks speak.
"She talks banking language. I talk rafting language."
Lani set to work. She immediately approached KiwiBank with the proposal - and they said yes. "It was as simple as that," Norm recalls.
Lani's approach was methodical and conservative. Norm and his team had no background in running a campground, so Lani helped them create projections that were realistic and attractive to lenders.
Getting the KiwiBank funding approved lifted a weight. "It felt good actually," Norm says simply.
Having Lani's support gave Norm confidence to make business decisions in areas where he knew his knowledge was limited. She served as a bridge between his operational expertise and the financial world that needed convincing.
"She was able to translate between us" Norm says. "That's what she's there for, isn't it? To help make the decisions that you don't really know enough about. "
The Results
The loan was paid off in three years.
The camp opened and was operating when Cyclone Gabrielle struck Hawke’s Bay in February 2023. Te Pōhue Camp became the hub of the community during the disaster. The camp served as a depot for unloading and loading supplies, food, and people. A generator came down from a nearby wind farm to keep operations running.
When asked how it felt to have created something that served such a function for the community in a difficult time, Norm is characteristically modest. "Well you don't get much time to think about it when it’s happening, you just go for it." But he does feel proud. "I guess it's what I've always done all my life."
When health issues arose later on, the work Lani had done to put the business on a solid footing made the business sellable. Norm sold Mohaka Rafting not long after Cyclone Gabrielle.
Lani's biggest contribution with the camp project was her ability to take Norm's vision and present it in terms banks could assess and approve. She understood both the passion driving the business and the financial rigour required to secure funding.
Her financial expertise created a strong foundation that served him well when circumstances changed and he needed to exit the business. The camp he built with her help now stands as a permanent fixture in Te Pōhue, ready to serve the community again when needed.
Norm's approach to business has always been practical. "I'm not an inventor, I'm an engineer by trade." He knew when to bring in expertise he didn't have. With Lani, he found someone who could take his vision and translate it into the language needed to make things happen. The result was a business strong enough to weather rejection, secure funding, serve a community in crisis, and ultimately provide a clean exit.
