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In the Community

A4 joined the Steptember New Zealand movement , we turned our steps into dollars raising funds towards supporting kids and adults with cerebral palsy. Steptember Stats: $835,695.05 raised so far in NZ  a minimum of 4,480,000 steps walked as an organisation  20 afternoon tea walks  16 Accounted4 staff committed to the cause   5 late night walks around the house before bed  3 dance parties to go over 10,000 steps  1 accomplished, fit...

How anti-money laundering legislation impacts you

If you've seen the film The Wolf of Wall Street, you'll be familiar with the concept of money laundering – an illegal process where 'dirty money' received from criminal activities is passed through legitimate businesses and made 'clean.' In response to a growing number of laundering incidents in New Zealand, the government has made changes to the law, which now affect accountants and small businesses like yours. As of this month (October 2018), we're required to put new preventative measures i...

Talking about Kiwisaver with your staff

Building Kiwisaver confidenceMany people feel they don't understand or know enough about Kiwsaver, so they ask others - including their employers - to talk them through it.There is lots of general information you can give them about KiwiSaver, but there are some rules around what you can and can't say.You can safely tell your employees what KiwiSaver is, what the features of a particular KiwiSaver scheme are if you have a preferred relationship, and information about what your staff member needs...

Conservation Week

Conservation Week is run by DOC each year to encourage people to get involved in nature and help to take care of it. Each year DOC works with community groups across Aotearoa to spread the conservation message. It’s a nationwide celebration of kiwis pitching in to help our native plants and animals. We invite you to join us by:Going to a local Conservation Week eventDoing an activity off your own batDonating to an existing conservation programmeThanks and hope to see you out there!Check out mo...

XEROCON 2018

Accounted4 sent a team of 6 over to Brisbane, Australia for the 2018 XEROCON. And what a trip it was! As we walked into the Brisbane Convention Centre on Day One to a DJ pumping music into a Blue lit room we could have been mistaken for thinking that we were entering a nightclub. The focus this year was #human, with the opening act emphasising exactly this - Tom Thumb is an artist who makes music with only his voice, that is every single sound you can think of - he can make. Steve Vamos, re...

Customer Choice Winners for Cambridge

We are proud to announce that we won the Customer Choice Category at the Waipa Networks Business Awards on Friday 31st August. Well done to all the other finalists and Winners on the night....

Five Ways to Wellbeing

They were created as a result of the New Economics Foundation's (NEF) Foresight Project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing research report. NEF conducted a review of the most up-to-date evidence and found that building five actions into day to day lives is important for the wellbeing of individuals, families, communities and organisations.  The five actions are: CONNECT, Me Whakawhanaunga Become involved in groups; join your local craft, sports, choir, hobby or book club and enj...

Leave without Pay

Leave without pay is when an employer allows an employee time off work when they would otherwise be working, but doesn't pay them for this time. Leave without pay (LWOP) doesn't end an employee's employment, and usually the employee returns to their same position and terms and conditions after taking leave without pay (unless the employee and employer agree otherwise). Leave without pay can affect the employee's annual holidays payment and entitlement in some situations. Situations when an emplo...

Featured Partner

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) is a professional body representing 120,000 members who use their skills every day to make a difference to businesses in Australia, New Zealand and many other parts of the world.   CA ANZ members are known for their professional integrity, principled judgment, financial discipline and a forward-looking approach to business, all of which contribute to the prosperity of our communities and nations....

In the Community

On the 20th June we supported Wig Wednesday for the Child Cancer Foundation - fundraising for children with Cancer.We were all Hair-O's, check us out in our wigs!...

Get to know: Anne Bland

Anne joined Shannon and Wrigley in 2004 to process payrolls and finish final accounts. She’s loved the opportunities the company has given her and she’s proud to manage Accounted4’s Support Services Team of 8 amazingly-talented ladies. Along with the other members of the payroll team, she takes great pride in delivering a friendly and professional payroll service. During her time at Accounted4 she has completed a Diploma in Business Studies and a Diploma in Human Resources. Anne has lived ...

Featured Client

Accounted4 Limited would like to share the success of the Stacey family in the recent Dairy Business of the Year Awards.  Riddings Farm Limited is a 440 cow, 137 Ha family dairy farming business near Parawera, south of Te Awamutu.  The Company and farm is operated by Chris Stacey and his wife Jude, along with Chris’ father Richard Stacey .  The Stacey family has been a long term client of Accounted4 Limited. Riddings Farm Limited/the Stacey’s took out Best Waikato Farm Perform...

Payroll Team Update

SALARIED EMPLOYEES – Hours of work versus minimum wage All employees must be paid at least the minimum wage for every hour they work, and this applies to employees who are paid by the hour and those who receive an annual salary. You can’t average an employee’s salary or wages over the season, however you can average it over their pay period, e.g. weekly/fortnightly. Accommodation Allowances which are an agreed true benefit paid to an employee can be included in gross annual salary calculat...

Xero Tip

How it WorksForward PDF bills to your organisation's unique Xero Bills email address. The PDF needs to be an email attachment, not an image in the body of the email.A draft bill is automatically created in Xero when the PDF is received.The PDF will open up side by side to the draft bill so you can easily enter the bill details.Xero automatically attaches the PDF to the bill. Find your Xero Bills email addressYour unique Xero Bills email address can be found on any status tab in the Purchases scr...

In the Office

We would like to welcome Arihia (Ari) to our team. Ari joins us from a firm in Hamilton, and graduated from the University of Waikato in 2016 with a Bachelor of Business Analysis majoring in accounting. Ari is being mentored by Genevera Scott and joins Grant Calvert's team....

Inland Revenue issues warning about sophisticated phishing scam

Inland Revenue has issued a warning about a sophisticated and widespread phishing scam that is designed to dupe people into handing over their bankcard details. The scam emails, which purport to be from Inland Revenue, tell people they are entitled to a tax refund which the department has been unable to automatically pay. It directs victims to a website to enter their card and personal details. Tax refund scams are common but the emails are relatively well-worded and IR chief info...

What you need to know about your ACC invoice

Everyone in New Zealand who’s in business has to pay ACC levies, which cover the cost of injuries caused by accidents. This year's invoices are coming soon.  Here's how to get ready.What you need to know:Whether you’re self-employed, a contractor, or you have staff, you’ll likely receive an invoice from ACC between mid-July and mid-August.Everyone in New Zealand who is in business has to pay ACC levies, which are separate from general tax and cover the cost of injuries caused by accid...

Four in Ten Kiwi Workers turn up to work while sick

If you turned up to work today feeling under the weather you are not alone. Global research by insurer Cigna has revealed four out of 10 workers in New Zealand comes to work when they are sick despite admitting they are nowhere near as productive. While Kiwis are more likely to take time off work when they are unwell than workers in other developed countries those who do, admit their productivity can be down by between 10 and 50 per cent.Mel MacPhee, head of human resources at Cigna New Zealand ...

Winter Warmers

Last Monday the Social Club here at A4 ran a Soup Competition. Staff brought in a homemade soup which was tasted by the rest of the staff with no hint of ingredients! From the six soups that were entered we can now share the top 2. First place (for the second year in a row) was Grant Calvert with his Curried Indian Kumera Creation and in second place was Kim Antonio with her Kumera, Red Apple and Little Piggy Soup. They have shared their winning recipes below for you all to enjoy....

IRD announces 2018 updated KM rate for Motor Vehicles

IRD announces 2018 updated Km Rate for a Motor Vehicle IRD has released an Operational Statement that replaces Operation Statement OS 09/01 Commissioner's statement on use of a kilometre rate for expenditure incurred for business use of a motor vehicle, issued in May 2009. This Statement explains how the kilometre rates are to be applied and also sets the rates for the current year. The current rate is 73 cents - the new rate is 76 cents. This Statement is made up of two parts. Part On...

Waipa Networks Business Awards Customer Choice

The business with the most votes wins this coveted award and we would love a Cambridge Accountant to win this prestigious award. Please vote for us by texting "Waipa Accounted4" to 4040. Texts cost 20c. One voter per mobile number. Voting is valid from 02-16 July. Thank you from all of us here at A4!...

Changes to paid parental leave: what it means for your business

From 1 July 2018, the number of weeks a parent can receive government-funded parental leave payments increases from 18 weeks to 22 weeks. Here's what you need to know.Becoming a parent is stressful enough without wondering how you’ll cope financially. Parental leave helps eligible working parents or other primary carers temporarily stop working to care for their newborn baby, or for a child under six who is now in their care.Knowing what rules apply to parental leave helps small business ...

Pressure doesn't have to turn into Stress

From the Harvard Business Review archives - check out the article below, written by Nicholas Petrie.When I was in my late twenties, I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Doctors operated and told me to hope for the best. I returned to Japan, where I was working, and tried to forget about it. The tumors returned a year later, this time in my liver. After a long search, the surgeons found a new procedure to remove them, but I knew this was, again, perhaps only a temporary fix. I...

Sitting at a table: Giving Women a fair shot

Chartered Accountant Fellow Michael Stiassny advocates for equality – both for women and ethnic minorities. He aims to make New Zealand a better place, through his work as the Chairman of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Whai Rawa, Tower Insurance and New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). A century ago New Zealand and Australia were the two international trailblazers in giving women the vote. Yet Stiassny doesn’t see New Zealand as being ahead of the game in comparison with the rest of the world,...

Accounting Team Update

Revenue Minister Stuart Nash is encouraging feedback on a proposal to change the rules around ring-fencing losses on residential properties. An Issues Paper has been released by the Inland Revenue Department that proposes ring-fencing losses in an effort to level the playing field between speculators and investors, and home buyers.“Changes would make the tax system fairer by ensuring that investors could not offset their losses on some property investments against their other income,” Mr Nas...