Whanganui accounting firm Balance welcomes new partner

Newest partner to Balance Chartered Accountants, Craig McKinnon. Photo/ Bevan Conley

A Whanganui accounting firm prepares for a generational shift in welcoming a "30-something-year-old" as the its newest partner.

Craig McKinnon joined Balance Chartered Accountants three years ago and in April he became one of four partners.

Chief executive John Taylor said taking Mr McKinnon on as a partner was all part of a succession plan.

"Existing shareholders will phase out over the next five to 10 years so it's really an investment to ensure that our clients are well looked after," Mr Taylor said.

Mr McKinnon is a Whanganui returnee who attended Wanganui Collegiate School before leaving the River City to complete his Bachelor of Commerce at Victoria University in Wellington.

"It has been a massive advantage having ties to Whanganui and reconnecting with people I went to school with and grew up with. I am also the third generation of Whanganui accountants in my family so it's been good to already have had established a good name for myself," he said.

Mr McKinnon said he was really excited to be a driver in what is being built at Balance and particularly work in a field of new and emerging businesses.

"There are young entrepreneurs who are doing some really exciting things and it's great that we have the skills and experience under one roof to do things like taking an idea and turning it into revenue streams," Mr McKinnon said.

Before shifting back to Whanganui with his wife and two boys, Mr McKinnon spent two years working as a senior tax analyst for Finance New Zealand (FNZ).

Balance Chartered Accountants chairman, Russell Bell, said Mr McKinnon's forte was tax planning and strategy and he had already made a positive difference to current and new clients.

"He understands the new paradigms that are emerging for business. For example I have clients in the USA and Saudi Arabia who Craig is successfully working with on international tax matters.

"Those clients have already expressed to me on a number of occasions how much comfort and confidence they have. It's exciting times," Mr Bell said.

Balance has been in Whanganui since the 1980s, with additional offices in Ohakune and Taumarunui. The company employs 40 staff between the three offices, 22 of whom are based in Whanganui.