Whanganui accountant Stephan Du Bruyn climbs the ranks at Venter and Hull

Stephan Du Bruyn still holds the Springboks close to his heart. Photo / Supplied

Whanganui accountant Stephan Du Bruyn has had a busy few weeks, with a promotion to associate at Venter and Hull quickly followed by the birth of his first child.

He's now back in the office and ready for the next phase of his career.

Du Bruyn and his wife Daniel emigrated to Whanganui from South Africa in 2015, and he has been at Venter and Hull ever since.

The first step towards associate is becoming a chartered accountant, which De Bruyn achieved in 2019.

"Then, after two years, you can do your certificate of public practice, which is a short course with ethics as the main module," he said.

"You need to show you've got some experience and that you will be able to serve clients to a certain standard."

As an associate, he can take on his own clients and has more responsibility in the running of the business itself.

He currently looks after staff training.

Du Bruyn said he liked working with numbers from a young age, so accountancy was the obvious career path.

"It's something that's always been appealing. It's nice to be able to solve a problem and help people."

Outside of the office and spending time with his family, tramping, fishing and bird watching were his big interests, Du Bruyn said.

Despite his new hometown, he remains a staunch Springboks supporter.

"I do support the All Blacks when they play Australia or England though.

"The upcoming tests (NZ vs SA) will be interesting. I'm hopeful but still wary.

"You can never assume that the All Blacks will just lie down and give it up to the Boks. It's going to be close."