Te Puke Accounting Expert Welcomes Closer Ties
24 June 2024
Left to right: Lance Ewens, Maria Livingstone, Stacey Farrelly, Amanda Hutchings.
One of Te Puke’s oldest professional service firms, Bennetts Proactive Accountants Limited, is embarking on a new chapter at a time when Bay businesses need a closer relationship with their accountants than ever before.
Experienced senior Chartered Accountant Maria Livingstone has re-joined the team as a new Associate, almost two decades after she originally began working there as a university graduate.
“Bennetts Proactive has always been a wonderful firm to work for. I’m excited to return and be given the opportunity to lead the team alongside Lance Ewens, Amanda Hutchings and Stacey Farrelly,” she says.
“Over the past decade I’ve gained a huge amount of commercial experience across all sectors including construction, property development, retail and manufacturing. I’ll now be using that knowledge and expertise to benefit our firm’s wonderful clients who range from multi-million horticultural operations through to Bay of Plenty-wide SMEs and mum and dad property investors.”
While based in Te Puke, Bennetts Proactive’s clients can be found throughout the region as many prefer the firm’s personalised and responsive service, easy access and affordable fees while still enjoying all the benefits the latest accountancy software and technology can offer.
“Our firm was one of the early adopters of Xero and we can certainly match the expertise and services offered by big-city accountancy firms,” Maria says. “Our team are exceptionally good at what they do, and can help people with their compliance requirements, annual tax returns, financial statements and GST. The team can also assist with business development tasks such as quarterly reporting, cashflow reporting, budgeting, business appraisals, succession planning, trust administration and much more.”
Today’s tight economy means it’s imperative for businesses to work alongside their accountants to trouble-shoot any problems before they arise, Maria says. “Working regularly with your accountant means you’ll always know where you’re at, instead of muddling through to the end of financial year and then discovering a problem. A lot of sectors are struggling at the moment so it’s important to manage cash flow and avoid getting into crisis situations. Early intervention is key, which is why you should be leveraging your accountant’s knowledge and consulting with them closely right now.”
Tax and property law is continuing to evolve, which is another reason why people should seek regular accountancy advice. “It’s better to ask questions at the outset when setting up a business and spend $500 to get it right than spend $5000 down the track trying to fix up a mistake.”
And despite advances in AI and accounting software, Maria believes a human touch will still be needed within the accountancy profession in the foreseeable future. “The data is only as good as the person entering it. There’s still a lot of knowledge needed when it comes to applying tax law and banks certainly want to see financial statements that have been reviewed by accountants to make sure they’re sensible and accurate. Artificial intelligence cannot sympathise or understand the unique issues you’re facing on the ground.
“I’ve helped clients through a lot of tough situations and emotions do run high when your livelihood is on the line, so it’s important to have a trusted accountant who can relate to you and your business. To me, accountancy is more than just numbers. It’s about building relationships with people and being that vital sounding board to help you get through those hard times so your business can still grow and thrive.”
Bennetts Proactive was founded in 1945 and was originally called Earp and Earp. Current director Lance Ewens joined the business 42 years ago and says Maria’s arrival was “the easiest hire I’ve ever made”.
“We’ve pivoted our business on a number of occasions over the years but we’ve stood the test of time thanks to the excellent and personalised service we provide, primarily to the horticulture, dairy and livestock industry. But today we provide accountancy services to a wide range of SMEs and sole traders across every industry you can imagine. And with Maria now on board, I know we are very well-positioned for the future. She knows her stuff, and brings a lot of new ideas and energy which will ultimately benefit our clients and our local economy.”