Balanced Books - Qualified Accountant

Tomorrow I’m heading away to 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗖𝗼𝗻26, followed by the Institute of Certified NZ Bookkeepers 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 this weekend.

This year, I’m incredibly honoured to be attending as a finalist in two categories:

𝗜𝗖𝗡𝗭𝗕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿
sponsored by MYOB

𝗜𝗖𝗡𝗭𝗕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿
sponsored by 𝗶Payroll

Being recognised in both categories is something I’m very proud of, but what I also really value is being part of a professional community that continues to lift the standard of bookkeeping in New Zealand.

For me, being involved with 𝗜𝗖𝗡𝗭𝗕 is about more than membership. It’s about connection, learning, accountability, and staying surrounded by people who care deeply about doing this work well.

Bookkeeping has such an important role in small business. When it’s done well, it gives business owners clarity, confidence, and a much stronger foundation to make decisions from.

I’m looking forward to catching up with peers, learning, celebrating the profession, and cheering on all the finalists this weekend.

Really pleased to have contributed to another submission alongside the NZQBA team.
It's encouraging to be part of conversations that aim to make GST simpler, clearer, and more practical for New Zealand businesses and the Bookkeepers who support them every day.

𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 👏

While many Bookkeepers were busy preparing GST returns, NZQBA was busy preparing something else... a submission to Inland Revenue NZ

When a new GST consultation paper was released, we took the opportunity to advocate for practical improvements that reflect the realities Bookkeepers and small businesses face every day.

Our submission covers topics including:

✅ Simplifying GST error corrections
✅ Improving practical GST guidance
✅ Modernising record-keeping for the digital economy
✅ e-Invoicing and digital reporting
✅ Reviewing the GST registration threshold
✅ Recognising the important role Bookkeepers play in supporting GST compliance

A huge thank you to everyone who shared their feedback through our member survey. Your real-world experiences helped shape our recommendations.

Special thanks also to Emma Diver from Balanced Books - Qualified Accountant, who generously gave her time and expertise to help develop the submission during one of the busiest times of the GST calendar.

Advocacy is one of the most important things NZQBA does on behalf of the profession, and we're proud to ensure the voice of Bookkeepers is heard where decisions are being made.

Read more here:
https://www.nzqba.co.nz/gst-improvements-bookkeepers-nz/

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆!

As we move into this month, here are some 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 to keep in mind.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars and stay on top of important events.

📅 𝟬𝟰 - 𝟭𝟵 School Holidays
📅 𝟎𝟕-𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝘅 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲
📅 𝟮𝟬 - 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗗𝗘𝗗) 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲
📅 𝟐𝟑-𝟐𝟔 Balanced Books > Traveling for ICNZB Conference

𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙!°🥂⋆.ೃ🪩*•💃

*If you’re filing your own individual income tax return in New Zealand, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘹 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵, your return is due by 𝟳 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 following the end of the financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March.

However, if you register with a tax agent before 7 July, you may qualify for an extension, giving you until 31 March 2027 to file your return.

& 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧:

✅ If you owe tax and are filing yourself, payment is due by 7 February 2027.

✅ If you’re with a tax agent, payment is due by 7 April 2027.

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, get in touch today to discuss it.

Let’s see if we’re the right fit and whether I can help take some stress out of your tax obligations.

𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦…

I’m incredibly honoured to share that I have been named a finalist for 𝗜𝗖𝗡𝗭𝗕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿, and 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗡𝗭 has also been named a finalist for 𝗜𝗖𝗡𝗭𝗕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 in the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗜𝗖𝗡𝗭𝗕 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀.

𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 “𝘸𝘰𝘸” 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵.

After what has been a very full and challenging year behind the scenes, this one feels 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚊 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕．

A huge congratulations to my fellow finalists:

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿
Evelien Baas
Rachel Paterson
Stella Vockins

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿
Office Crew
Tipping Point Ltd
Virtual Mel – Business Admin Solutions

And congratulations to all finalists across the other award categories as well.
What an incredible group to be recognised alongside.

A heartfelt thank you to my clients, my network, my 'team' behind the scenes, and especially Ed and my family for supporting me to keep showing up, growing, and doing work I truly care about.

Thank you also to ICNZB - Institute of Certified NZ Bookkeepers, MYOB and 𝗶𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹 for championing and celebrating the bookkeeping profession.

I’m absolutely over the moon and can’t wait to celebrate with everyone at the Gala Dinner! 🤩🥰🎉

𝗚𝗦𝗧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘈𝘱𝘳–𝘔𝘢𝘺 is ᴅᴜᴇ 𝟮𝟵 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

If you file GST every two months, this is for your Apr–May GST return.

𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥, IRD can receive your return and payment on the next working day: Monday 29 June 2026.

✔ If you haven’t already, now’s the perfect time to get that return filed.
✔ Remember to schedule your payment to avoid any late penalties or interest.

Need help double-checking your figures or filing?

Reach out - support is just a message away.

Proud to have contributed to this submission alongside the NZQBA team.

This is an important conversation for the bookkeeping profession, and I look forward to seeing how it develops from here.

📣 𝗡𝗭𝗤𝗕𝗔'𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁

Over the past few weeks, we've been working on NZQBA's submission to Inland Revenue NZ's consultation on proposed legislative changes for intermediaries.

This consultation presented an important opportunity to advocate for greater recognition of the bookkeeping profession and ensure the realities of modern bookkeeping businesses are reflected in any future framework.

In our submission, we strongly supported:

✔ A dedicated Bookkeepers category
✔ A clear definition of a Bookkeeper
✔ Replacing the current 10-client rule
✔ Appropriate professional standards and accountability
✔ Recognition of the many different ways Bookkeepers support New Zealand businesses

Bookkeepers play a vital role in helping businesses stay compliant, organised, and informed. We believe it's important that legislation and regulatory frameworks recognise that contribution.

A special thank you to Emma Diver (Balanced Books - Qualified Accountant) and Angela Fisher (ClockworX - Your Outsourced Bookkeeping Team) for their time, expertise, and valuable contributions to the submission.

You can read more and download the full submission here 🔗 https://www.nzqba.co.nz/bookkeeper-recognition-submission/

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲!

It's officially 𝕎𝕀ℕ𝕋𝔼ℝ!!

As we plow into this month, here are some 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 to keep in mind.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars and stay on top of important events.

📅 𝟬𝟭 - King's Birthday
📅 𝟮𝟮 - 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗗𝗘𝗗) 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲
📅 𝟮𝟵 - GST Due (𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝟤𝟪 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 &/𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘚𝘛 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘺 - 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴)

𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝕔𝕠𝕫𝕪 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙! ❄️

𝟲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝘅 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻.

Over the years, this page has mostly been a place to share business updates, qualifications, reminders, milestones, achievements, partnerships, and everything happening behind the scenes at Balanced Books.

But as we reach this milestone, and with a lot of fresh interest in the business lately, I thought it was a good time to share something a little more personal so you could get to know the person behind the business, the ideas, and the way I work.

I’m Emma, the face behind Balanced Books, based in Alexandra, Central Otago, working remotely with clients NZ-wide.

My husband Ed and I have a big blended family of seven children, which continues to grow as partners join our crew. Family has always been a huge part of why I built this business the way I did.

Over recent months, life has also reminded us just how important flexibility really is, as Ed has been navigating a significant health journey involving multiple brain surgeries (10).

Being able to support my family while also supporting my clients is something I never take for granted.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆, 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱.

If Balanced Books has ever helped create clarity, reduce stress, or simply made life feel a little easier, please know how grateful I am to be part of that journey.

Thank you for supporting Balanced Books over the past six years and being part of the journey so far.

I’m excited to see what the next chapter brings ✨

I wanted to share these upcoming AI workshops being hosted by one of my business coach’s business partners/husband, Joshua Vial.

These feel refreshingly practical and grounded compared to some of the AI noise online right now.

Less “AI hype.”
More:
✔ real workflows
✔ real-time savings
✔ practical AI safety
✔ using AI in ways that actually support your business

Perfect for business owners who want AI to work for them without needing to become a tech expert.

And honestly… who doesn’t love a last-minute sign up 😅
The first workshop starts tomorrow.

One thing I also really like is that you don’t need to attend live to get value from it. Purchasing includes access to the recordings and materials, and the discussion/community space afterwards, so you can continue learning, asking questions and implementing things in your own time around actual life and business.

I’ll pop the link in the comments 🤍
(Full transparency: it’s an affiliate/referral link)