How we score New Zealand accounting firms

What the score is

Every accounting firm in this guide is scored the same way, from one source: what the firm publishes on its own website, last checked 18 October 2026. We count facts. We do not rate the quality of advice, outcomes or service, and a firm may offer something it does not mention online.

How the points add up

• Services listed — one point for each of these 20 services the website lists: Annual accounts & tax returns, Individual tax returns, GST, Payroll, Bookkeeping, Business advisory, Business start-ups, Budgeting & cashflow forecasting, Virtual CFO / management reporting, Audit & assurance, Trusts & estates accounting, Farm & rural accounting, Property & rental accounting, Company secretarial, Tax planning & IRD disputes, Business valuations & sales, Succession planning, Not-for-profit & charities, Cloud accounting setup (Xero/MYOB), Forensic accounting & insolvency.
• Names its chartered accountants — the website names at least one person with a CA or FCA designation.
• CA ANZ or CPA member — the website states the firm or its principals belong to CA ANZ or CPA Australia.
• Xero partner — the website states a Xero partner status.
• Book online — the website has an online booking calendar, not just a contact form.
• Offices beyond Hamilton — the firm lists at least one office outside Hamilton.
• Publishes its fees — the website shows at least one dollar fee or priced package.
• Free first meeting — the website offers a free first meeting or consultation.

Firms are ordered by total points, then by the number of services listed, then alphabetically. On pages for a particular need (for example family law or disputes), firms are first ordered by how many of that need's services they list, so a firm that focuses on that work comes before one that only mentions it, and then by total points. A firm with no website we could find, or whose website we have not yet been able to read, is not scored or ranked: it appears in a separate, alphabetical “Not yet reviewed” list until we can check it. Every firm page shows the date it was last checked.

What the badges mean

Each badge is one of the facts above, and you can check it on the firm's website. Widest range of services goes to the firm or firms listing the most services in this guide (ties share it).

What we don't do

• No firm pays to be listed, ordered or badged, and there are no featured or sponsored listings.
• Contact, website and booking links go straight to the firm.
• Nothing is guessed: if a firm's website doesn't say it, it isn't counted.

This guide was created by Backroom Ops, founded in Hamilton. The criteria above are applied identically to every firm, the source pages for each listing are linked on its page, and any firm can ask for a correction by emailing hello@backroomops.co.nz with a link to the page on its website that shows the change.