CASE STUDIES

Two of my highlights for the past 12 months came through the Institute: in October 2006, I was named Accounting Technician of the Year, and in December, I was accepted into the Associate Chartered Accountants College. There’s something very special about having your professional skills and knowledge recognised by your peers.

For the past three-and-a-half years, I’ve worked for MASH Trust, a not-for-profit that provides community and residential services to people that experience disabilities.

Since joining MASH I have completely overhauled the accounting information system and reporting processes, providing Board and management with information to allow them to balance the needs of the people receiving the services and the need to make sound business decisions to ensure the continued viability of the organisation. I’m proud to be able to use my skills and expertise to help such a worthwhile service.

Case study in pdf (90 Kb)

I run a sole-practitioner accounting firm in Dannevirke with 12 staff. We are mainly farm accounting specialists – I’m married to a farmer and farming is a personal interest of mine. We have a grown-up family – three are at university; one is a rural bank manager; and one is in England selling real estate.

Ours was the first monitor farm in the Tararua region and I am currently co-facilitating the monitor farm programme. I’m also very keen on benchmarking, which I’ve done for the past eight years. We currently benchmark 80 to 100 sheep and beef farmers in the Tararua area – not just our clients, but other farmers as well.

I like to keep informed on farming matters, and I enjoy our regular client discussion groups. I’ve been a weekly columnist on farm accounting issues for the Bush Telegraph since 2002, and this column also appears in the Central Hawke’s Bay Mail.

I’m so lucky. I really love my job. I’ll just keep on doing what I’m doing.

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After leaving university, I worked for Pricewaterhouse in Dunedin, before joining a small team at Deloitte helping Telecom corporatise. Keen for a commercial accounting role, I joined Zespri International in Auckland as it went through significant changes in the 1990s. When Linda’s job moved to Sydney I became Head of Finance for Computershare’s Australian business. Relationship-building and expectation management skills practised at Australia’s largest retailer, Woolworths, together with an MBA gave me the breadth of skills to become Chief Financial Officer for McGrath Real Estate where I’ve managed finance, IT, compliance and marketing. Wherever I go next, my CA qualification will be at the core.

Case study in pdf (179 Kb)

I was born in China, and moved to Hong Kong when I was a teenager. I met John when I came to Dunedin on a scholarship when I was 16. We both did accounting degrees at Otago University, then I moved to Auckland with KPMG. I specialised in banking and finance, and later moved to Hendry Hay McIntosh where I was responsible for the whole back office. Merrill Lynch bought the operation, and asked me to go to Australia, where I was CFO Private Clients. In 2002, when the Private Clients division was sold and closed, I moved to the fund manager Schroders Investment Management. Moving from the sell side to the buy side gave me quite a different focus – and it has been exciting to build the business from $3 billion to $13 billion under management in five years.

Case study in pdf (179 Kb)

My family teases me that I’m a one-woman multi-disciplinary firm. I started in law and arts and did my master’s in history. I later went back to do a B Com and worked as a Chartered Accountant, primarily in audit. After maternity leave, I worked part-time as a CA before returning to university to finish my law degree. On graduating I was asked to join the law faculty.

Otago University is a wonderful place to work. I teach tax and capital markets, and research tax history and companies and securities law. Law and accounting mix really well; they are two quite different ways of looking at the world, and each strengthens the other – though accounting in itself teaches that there is more than one approach to the world. Teaching and research and being involved with ABEL as a facilitator and academic board member bring together the same things I enjoyed in auditing – interaction with people and unpicking things to see how they work.

Case study in pdf (135 Kb)

‘CA’ has been my ticket to ride – my entry to the global market. I was consulting in Auckland after three years in London when I was headhunted by Canterbury of New Zealand to run their global finance function. The head office used to be in Christchurch, but they moved to Manchester to be closer to the expanding market in the northern hemisphere.

I have a team of staff reporting from six countries, and I’m also the finance director of the Asia-Pacific region, looking after their operations and strategic side. Although we’re 12,000 miles away, we’re a New Zealand company, working under New Zealand rules. So I spend a lot of time on the phone, and also travel widely.

I’ve worked with accountants from all over the world. The Institute has a high standard compared to others, and that gives members an edge. I’ll want to come home to New Zealand one day but for now, I’m happy to go wherever the job takes me – the world is constantly shrinking.

Case study in pdf (103 Kb)

In my acceptance speech for Young Chartered Accountant of the Year, I talked about ‘changing the world from the bottom of the world’. That’s still my theme today. I want all public practices to start selling what our customers are truly buying – business solutions at a value to them, rather than minutes of our time. The customer cares about results, not inputs, and that is what my team at Harrex Group sells.

It’s lonely in business – someone at the other end of the phone that cares about their success makes a huge difference to a customer. We have service agreements that allow customers to phone as often as they like. Value pricing in itself isn’t the answer, but it is the tool we use to align our goals with those of our customers.

My team and I are excited about what we’re doing: we’re having lots of fun, we’re improving businesses, and we don’t have to write down what we’re doing every six minutes.

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I have a 15-month-old daughter who is the main influence in my life. I want a future for her, and that means looking ahead, working hard and developing my career. I’m one of 15 staff at Walton Railton. My role involves business advisory services for a wide range of mainly small to medium sized clients and completion of their tax compliance work. I enjoy the relationship with clients, particularly those I work with regularly – it’s really good seeing the benefit you contribute to the client’s business, and their appreciation of your input.

I’ve intended to be an accountant since I was about 10, and I really enjoy the work, particularly seeing the developments in technology and how these can be applied to industry. Going forward, I’d like to practise in cost accounting, particularly in working out the viability of enterprises.

I’m currently a qualified Accounting Technician and plan to be a member of the Associate Chartered Accountants College within the next year.

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My passion for Maori to succeed is a key career driver. The Tu Tangata programme at Massey University, designed to encourage Maori to study business, supported me to complete my degree. I then spent three years with Rotorua firm Iles Casey – auditing small to large businesses, different industries and sectors, simple to complex systems. That technical grounding, followed by three years’ contracting in the UK, provided an excellent foundation.

My career has developed in the public sector, which contains a diversity of business perspectives and issues. The acknowledgement and active demonstration of the Treaty partnership within Crown entities has been a key challenge. I’m Chair of Waiariki Institute of Technology, which is committed to a comprehensive bicultural framework. My employer Scion, the Rotorua-based CRI, is demonstrating leadership in the quadruple bottom line – economic, environmental, social and cultural.

My aspiration is to one day lead a globally successful Maori organisation, and the knowledge I have gained through applying my CA qualification is guiding me towards that goal.

Case study in pdf (194 Kb)

I spend most of my time with directorships, consultancy on governance, and advising boards or chief executives. My background as a Chartered Accountant, focused on the management and governance of business, has given me an excellent grounding for such work.

I am a director of listed companies MediaWorks NZ Ltd, Freightways Ltd and Smiths City Group Ltd. I am chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Provident Fund and the Wool Industry Network Ltd, deputy chairman of Christchurch International Airport Ltd, and on the boards of Electronic Transaction Services Ltd (the EFTPOS switch owned by the four major banks) and ASURE New Zealand Ltd (the meat inspection SOE).

If you wish to move to governance, use the role models you come across in your work. Apply what you see to your own situation to broaden your skill base. In corporates, Chartered Accountants can move into a more senior role, but in a small public practice it’s not that simple. However, once someone gives you the opportunity to get started, if you can add value around the table you’ll get the next role based on merit. The reward is working with some amazing people and adding real value to business.

Case study in pdf (124 Kb)

Earlier this year, I came home to New Zealand after almost 13 years in Haifa, Israel, at the Baha’i World Centre. I was Deputy Secretary General of the Baha’i international community, responsible for managing relationships with the host country and with the diplomatic community.

Haifa has been a highlight in a varied career that included time in the public sector, three years in Parliament, shepherding two government-owned entities through privatisation and consulting for Roger Douglas Associates.

My wife and I returned to New Zealand to retire, but I was asked to take up my former job as Secretary of the New Zealand Assembly, and here I am – back full on. It is a challenging job, but a very interesting one. The basic goal of the Baha’i faith is world peace. This makes the work very meaningful which helps a lot to cope with the pressure.

Case study in pdf (116 Kb)