Distilled Chartered Accountants

You can't run a business from a spreadsheet. Some of the best advice I've given clients has come from standing in their workshop, watching the work happen, and asking questions I'd never have thought to ask from behind a desk.

So I get out and see people. It's not an extra — it's how I do the job properly.

Thanks for having me, team. 👊 Rutherford Signs

Signwriting your Ute isn't just marketing.

There's a stubborn myth that a ute is automatically tax-free because it's a work vehicle. It isn't.

If a vehicle is available to an employee for private use, FBT generally applies — ute or not. There's a work-related vehicle exemption available, but every condition has to be met:

• The vehicle isn't principally designed to carry passengers
• It's permanently and prominently signwritten with your business branding
• You've told your staff in writing that private use isn't allowed, other than travel between home and work
• You actually check that the rule is being followed, and keep a record of doing so

Miss one and the exemption doesn't apply.

The rules also work quite differently depending on whether you're a sole trader, a partnership or a company — so the honest answer to "can I claim the ute?" is that it depends on your structure.

Worth a conversation before you buy, not after.

"If I made $180,000 profit, where is it?"

Probably the question I'm asked most often.

Profit and your bank balance measure two completely different things, and the gap between them usually lives in four places:

Stock and work in progress — money's gone out, the job isn't invoiced yet.

Debtors — invoiced, not paid.

Asset purchases — the new ute doesn't hit your profit all at once, but it certainly left your bank account all at once.

Tax and loan principal — real cash out the door, not an expense.

Profit tells you whether the business model works. Cashflow tells you whether you can pay wages on Thursday. You need to watch both, and they'll rarely agree.

If your own accounts don't make sense to you, that isn't a you problem. Ask.

Out of the office today 👋

One of my favourite parts of running Distilled is getting out and seeing clients in their own space. It's much easier to help someone with their numbers once you've seen the business they've built.

Today I called in on Hair and Wigs by Nickie in Gate Pa — and what she does deserves a lot more attention than it gets.
Nickie is not only an award-winning hairdresser. She's also registered with Health New Zealand, which means she can help clients access the government subsidy towards the cost of a wig if they're experiencing hair loss from alopecia, cancer treatment or other medical conditions.

And because of her hairdressing background, she doesn't just hand a wig over. She makes sure it fits properly, sits right and actually looks good. When someone is going through something that hard, that part matters enormously.

Six months ago I resigned from a job I'd had for eighteen and a half years and started Distilled Chartered Accountants.

Nobody tried to talk me out of it. My friends and family had apparently wondered why it took me so long, which was flattering and mildly alarming in equal measure.

Three things I have found is:

Clients don't want more reports. They want to talk to a human. A ten-minute phone call solve a problem faster then a long-winded report.

Great conversations happen at a workplace. Ten minutes in a workshop looking at the job board tells me more than a full year of accounts, and I usually leave more excited about what the business is capable of.

Nobody has ever once complained that I explained something too simply.

Thank you to all my clients who took a punt on a startup business. There's room for a few more.

📅 Tax reminder — 28 August

Today is an important tax date for many New Zealand businesses.

Depending on your filing frequency, your June/July or July GST return and payment is due today.

For many taxpayers, today is also the due date for the first instalment of provisional tax for the year ending 31 March 2027.

If you’re not sure what’s due, how much you need to pay, or whether provisional tax applies to you — please get in touch.

Tax dates shouldn’t come as a surprise. Having clear, up-to-date financial information means you can plan ahead and know what’s coming.

Turning complexity into clarity.

It's International Dog Day, so here's Guinness — unqualified, unpaid, unfailingly present.
Fun fact: studies have found dogs notice when the maths doesn't add up. Show a dog one treat, then another, then reveal three — and you'll get a very confused head tilt.
Honestly? Same reaction I have when the bank rec is out by an amount nobody can explain.
Dogs and accountants: both quietly checking your numbers. Only one of us does it for biscuits. 🐕

A very proud moment 🎓

Earlier this year I signed off on Sean Washer’s three years of structured, mentored practical experience, and last week it was wonderful to attend his graduation ceremony and watch him receive his Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand designation.

Having worked alongside Sean, it has been wonderful watching him progress: the questions he asked, the responsibility he took on, and the professional he has grown into. Sean, you've earned this.

Congratulations to Sean and to everyone who received their CA designation. It represents years of study, long hours and real commitment, and our profession is better for having you all in it.