Meet the team

Cameron Robertson

Cameron is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant and has been practicing in the accounting industry since 2010. A born and bred Cantabrian, Cameron studied at the University of Canterbury and now services our local clients for Sidekick Christchurch.

Cameron has worked alongside business owners in a wide range of industries, from investment properties, to trades to professionals. Cameron draws on his vast experience in the SME environment to ensure your business is on the right track.

Cameron is a big sports lover. Apart from being a huge Warriors fan he’s also a whiz at playing both rugby and cricket, and likes to dabble in golf, cycling, and rugby league.

Lisa Adamson

Lisa our Director is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant holding a private practice certificate, and has over ten years experience working with businesses in the Medium to Large Business sector.

Lisa studied at the University of Otago to gain a BCom majoring in Accounting and minoring in Tourism. Lisa has worked with the growing Sidekick team for six years before starting Sidekick Commercial in 2019. Through some changes and opportunities, Sidekick Commercial, Sidekick Christchurch and DJCA all combined during Lockdown 2020 to create Sidekick CA. Through Crisis comes opportunity!

Lisa has a wealth of experience working with almost every industry you can think of whilst currently having a big focus with large companies in the HR, hospitality, training and construction space both locally in Christchurch and Nationwide.

A keen traveller, Lisa enjoys spending time planning her next overseas holiday (although that’s not happening for a while). Lisa spends her weekends relaxing and dining out with friends and visiting family in Whakatane or some of the other amazing places New Zealand has to offer.

James Swaney

James is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant and studied at Lincoln University to gain a BCom, majoring in Accounting, Finance and Information Technology.

James spent over four years working in the motor vehicle industry in Timaru, before becoming a Chartered Accountant.
Looking at the big picture, setting goals and helping clients plan to achieve those goals are what James enjoys most about his job.

When James is not in the office he is usually spending time with his family, and sometimes out on the squash court or race track. James is also a big rugby, cricket and motor sport fan.

Richard Wheeler

Richard has over 20 years of experience, in finance including rural banking, and is now a partner in the accounting industry. He holds a BCom in Agriculture majoring in Rural Valuation and Farm Management, and has completed the Certificate of Public Practice for Chartered Accountancy firms.

His knowledge of agriculture and business is current and broad. Richard has successfully helped a range of farming systems from large to small, discover and achieve their goals. Hailing from a family sheep and beef station prior to attending Lincoln, his roots are firmly grounded in agriculture. Helping farmers succeed is his passion. With so many challenges facing farming businesses, Richard is uniquely placed to help you optimise your planning and financial needs.

Outside of work, Richard loves swimming and mountain biking with his family and friends, and chairing the finance committee for the successful South Canterbury Rugby Union.

Peter Humphrey

Peter Humphrey is a Chartered Accountant who brings a wealth of local knowledge to the Sidekick Wanaka team. He brings a couple of decades of local business advisory and accounting experience under his belt. He also has some pretty cool tricks up his sleeve.

Peter is astute, calm and he is dedicated to helping people. He is focused on building authentic relationships and guiding people through smart decision-making in business. To him, the human element of accounting is the most important. His strength is in developing long-term trust and genuine rapport with his clients. These strong relationships result in him being the ‘go-to-guy’ for financial problem-solving, navigating challenging times and celebrating the wins. Peter is in for the long haul on his clients’ business journeys.

Speaking of long-haul journeys, Peter is enamoured with South America. This passion has taken him to Chile, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay to be immersed in the culture, people, landscape and language. Learning Spanish has deepened his connection to the culture. Speaking the local language has not only heightened the experience of travelling in these countries; completing university papers has provided a way to continue experiencing the culture vicariously from within NZ borders. Peter enjoys furthering his learning and education, and to him, foreign languages provide the perfect complement to his qualifications in commerce.

Community and connection are drivers in Peter’s interests outside of work and travel. He is the Treasurer for the Alpine Community Development Trust, the governing body for Community Networks Upper Clutha. Peter is also part of the local Toastmasters organisation and the Upper Clutha Tramping Club. He is always giving back, and enjoys spending time with different people in different places.

Peter knows how to unpack the numbers, talk sense and help people and organisations in our community.  As we like to say at Sidekick, ‘We speak your language’. So we are very excited to have Peter in our team because he not only speaks your language when it comes to accounting; he also speaks English, French and Spanish. ¡Olé!

Ben Wright

Ben is your go-to guy in the Selwyn District for all of your small business accounting requirements (he can also handle the bigger stuff too, we’re just being modest).

Ben works hard to help his clients grow by getting to know them and helping them define and then achieve their goals.

Ben is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant having gained a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting from the University of Canterbury. Since graduating, Ben has gained experience with large public firms in both New Zealand and the UK before joining the Sidekick team in 2019.

Most weekends you will find Ben enjoying the outdoors with family and friends. He loves jumping on his mountain bike or going for a run to take advantage of the great environment that Selwyn has to offer

Lisa Lines

Lisa looks after our many and varied Queenstown clients which include tradies, travel agencies, rental agencies, doctors, not-for-profits, and many others.

Lisa has a strong background in accounting with qualifications from Otago University and extensive experience with various Chartered Accounting firms, plus a long stint at Spark in Wellington. But Lisa’s not just about numbers, her main strength is supporting clients as a business advisor with forward planning and budgeting.

Lisa’s farming background has stood her in good stead, and our clients appreciate her genuine, friendly, helpful and down to earth attitude.

Stu Wilson

Stu Wilson brings a wealth of experience to the Sidekick Wanaka team.  Beginning his career auditing in London, Stu then went on to work in the UK and later New Zealand as a Financial Controller.  Moving to Wanaka 15 years ago, Stu also made the move from working for large corporates to supporting the accountancy needs of small businesses, combining his experience with his passion to support local small businesses accountancy needs, so that they can focus on what they do best.

When he is not working Stu enjoys everything getting out on his bikes, mountain biking and sometimes some road cycling.  Now that his boys have left the family home, he is looking forward to spending some time travelling.

Jason Stapley

A Chartered Accountant since 2009, Jason has experience in a Big 4 accounting firm, a large Australian privately held property group, and before joining Sidekick in 2018 was the Financial Controller for Mike Greer Homes.

Alongside his experience in the property sector, Jason enjoys helping clients achieve success in the construction industry and meeting people who have an entrepreneurial mindset.

Jason enjoys spending time with his young family on his lifestyle property in Mandeville, playing social football, and watching most sports, especially cricket on the telly!

Ric Thorpe

Ric Thorpe is one of the owners of Sidekick Chartered Accountancy group. Ric is one of the leads in the 20 strong Christchurch team as well as assisting the Sidekick group across the South Island, which now has offices in 8 locations and over 60 team members (with an additional 17+ overseas). Ric has been instrumental in fostering the incredible family-like team culture at Sidekick and helping grow the businesses by spreading the word of Fixed-Fee, Modern Accountancy across the country. Ric has also held  roles in governance and strategy for not-for-profit organisations, membership organisations such as the Christchurch Business Club, as well as within the Sidekick Group.

Traditionally Ric has been at the front end of Sidekick as the sales expert, building referral networks and solution partners across many industries. Since 2020 Ric has been predominantly Christchurch based (which can largely be attributed to the Covid-19 situation). Now Ric’s role is a mix between sales and consulting to small and medium businesses. Working with clients mostly to help them grow! His expertise lie in sales, establishing a strategy, pitching and most importantly, closing!

More time in Christchurch has provided a great opportunity to focus on internal projects, including team development and the SidekickTV channel, where Ric interviews local business people about a variety of hot topics in economic discourse.

A key thing for Ric is culture. If you have the right people and they all have a common purpose along with respect and love for one another, your business should thrive!

Katie Ashton

Katie, one of our friendly accountants here at Sidekick Commercial has a Bachelor of Applied Management Accounting from Ara and is embarking on her Chartered Accounting qualification this year.

Before joining Sidekick in 2018, Katie worked in Corporate Accounting in Melbourne for five years, before moving back to Christchurch to be closer to family.

Katie enjoys working closely with the Sidekick Commercial clients, and especially enjoys the satisfaction of watching them grow and develop to reach their business goals.

Outside of work Katie enjoys being active with boxing and mountain biking, traveling, going to concerts, and hanging out with friends.

Jenna Anderson

Jenna is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant, graduating from Otago University with a BCom followed by a Diploma in Accounting from Lincoln University. Jenna is one of our valued senior accountants in Christchurch and has been with the djca and now Sidekick team since 2014.

Jenna’s role involves working with a variety of SME businesses in Christchurch, with a focus on developing close working relationships with many of these clients.

When she’s not in the office, Jenna enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking and visiting family in Wanaka.

Working with Jenna, you’ll enjoy her cool, casual style combined with her attention to detail and getting things right!

Megan Power

Megan studied at the University of Canterbury, gaining both a bachelor of laws and a bachelor of arts degrees. She’s also a Chartered Accountant and has spent 20 years working in both commercial and CA sectors. She brings a wealth of experience to her new role at Sidekick!

Outside of work, Megan loves going biking and skiing and spending time with her family. She also loves travelling to new places, and hopes to be able to get out there and do it again sometime soon!

Amanda Wright

Amanda thrives on helping businesses uncover insights that drive success. She is passionate about building strong relationships with our customers, understanding their needs, and delivering solutions that make a real impact.

Amanda is an Associate Chartered Accountant after completing a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting and Marketing, at the University of Canterbury. With experience across business advisory services and compliance for SMEs, she also worked for five years as a management accountant at one of our esteemed national research institutes, where she learned to blend creativity with problem-solving.

Her life is full, with two young children keeping her on her toes, along with adventure racing around New Zealand and tackling new running challenges to embrace our great outdoors.

Ayumi Ogata

Ayumi graduated with a Commerce Degree from Fukuoka University in Japan in 2005, has a Graduate Diploma in Accounting from ARA and is currently studying towards becoming a Chartered Accountant. Ayumi is one of our valued Accountants and has been with Sidekick since 2012.

Ayumi has first hand experience in running her own small business and draws on this knowledge to help our clients. You’ll find Ayumi and her Yum Yum Gyoza team at the Riccarton Farmers market or catering for functions with her delicious handmade Japanese Dumplings.

Ayumi is a big fan of the outdoors, especially fishing, camping and snowboarding. Ayumi also competes in Roller Derby and absolutely loves it!

Emily Roach

Emily, one of our whizz-kid accountants, joined the Sidekick team in February 2017 and boy are we glad to have her on board! Emily has been working in the accounting industry for many years, starting her career in administration at an accounting firm, and loved the work so much she worked her way up to being an accountant.

From working as an accountant at accounting firms, in the tech industry, and for a charity, Emily brings a great depth of knowledge and experience to the team. Emily has travelled through Europe, lived and worked in the UK, and is always planning the next trip, her most recent being South East Asia!

Whitney Hepburn

Whitney graduated from the University of Canterbury in 2018 with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting and Taxation, and started her career with Sidekick in 2019. She’s also starting her Chartered Accounting qualification this year.

As well as all her accountancy skills, she’s also a local Football star! She’s represented New Zealand in age group levels, and currently plays for the Canterbury Women’s team who’ve won 6 national championship titles. As both a talented Sportswoman and Accountant, she’s a great asset for the Sidekick team!

Ben Bailey

Ben joined the Sidekick team in late 2020. He studied at the University of Canterbury and graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting.

After gaining Accounting experience in Canterbury, Ben spent the last 2 years over in Germany playing Rugby in the 1st Bundesliga. He returned late last year and started up here at Sidekick. In his free time, Ben enjoys getting out for a run, meeting new people, and obviously a game of Rugby!

Ben brings a wide range of knowledge and skills from his time working and travelling, and has settled in really well here at Sidekick.

Ryan Wallace

Ryan joined Sidekick in February, 2021. He has a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Financial management from Varsity college in South Africa, and did the second half of his degree via correspondence while he was here in New Zealand (graduating in 2019).

Ryan is also a top notch Cricketer and has spent the last 7 years playing cricket around the globe. He spent time in England and South Africa, before moving to New Zealand 4 years ago and he’s been here ever since! He’s also a high level Hockey player, and was in the South African U21 World Cup Hockey Squad and also plays for the Canterbury Cavaliers men’s hockey team. In his free time he loves to hit the links, go out for an early morning surf or have a BBQ with his mates.

Ryan’s a real all-rounder, and a great addition to our Sidekick team!

Chelsea Buckeridge

Chelsea started her accounting career in her home town of Whanganui, where she worked at a local firm while completing her Bachelor of Business, majoring in accountancy.

She moved down to Christchurch when she has begun her career at Sidekick, with the opportunity to “work with a firm that continues to evolve from conventional accounting practices” exciting her.

In her free time, Chelsea loves keeping active, going to the beach over the summer months, attending gigs and festivals, and she’s always excited to head back home to Whanganui to visit her whānau.

Josh Oquendo

Meet Josh Oquendo, one of the talented members of the Sidekick Chartered Accountants team. With over a year of experience in the audit department at Nexia, Josh has brought his skills and expertise to our firm to help our clients achieve their financial goals.

Josh is an ambitious individual who always goes the extra mile to ensure that his clients receive the best possible service. He is passionate about providing accurate financial advice and helping his clients make informed decisions about their financial future. Josh is currently working towards obtaining his Chartered Accountancy Qualifications, and he is making great progress towards achieving his goal.

When he’s not working, Josh has a number of interests that keep him busy. He is an avid DJ and enjoys spending time creating music and playing at local events. Josh also enjoys going to the gym and keeping fit. He believes that staying active is an important part of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Josh’s ability to work quickly and efficiently is one of his key strengths, and it is a valuable asset to our team. He is always looking for ways to improve his skills and knowledge, and he is committed to providing the best possible service to our clients.

At Sidekick Chartered Accountants, we are proud to have Josh as part of our team. His dedication and commitment to our clients are second to none, and we know that he will continue to excel in his role as he works towards achieving his goals. If you are looking for expert financial advice and support, get in touch with Sidekick Chartered Accountants today and let us help you achieve your financial goals.

Ihi McIntyre

Ihi joined the Sidekick team in early 2020. She is currently studying towards a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Canterbury.

Ihi is the newest member of our accounting team after being our receptionist for over a year.

She is originally from Blenheim but moved to Christchurch straight out of school.

In her spare time you will find her at a Crossfit gym, out shopping, studying or hanging out with friends.

Charlotte Roberts

Charlotte, our Office Manager, plays a vital role in ensuring the smooth running of the Christchurch office. As well as managing our internal office processes and administration, Charlotte also completes bookkeeping and payroll for a variety of clients.

Charlotte holds a degree in Travel and Tourism and has many years of front line experience. However we’re convinced her fantastic skills in multi-tasking and organising chaos must come from being a Mum to her beautiful children Riley and Tawera.

When she’s not hanging out with the Sidekick team, Charlotte enjoys relaxing with family and friends.

Vanessa Burt

If somebody asks ‘who is the best person to do this tricky job?” our answer is likely to be Vanessa.

Vanessa manages Sidekick Bookkeeping and completes clients’ various administrative duties, advises them on their tax obligations, acts as our one stop Xero help-desk and even completes the odd tax return.

Vanessa is also a qualified Gym instructor and has competed in Body Building competitions, so when she’s not at the gym teaching group fitness you will find her at home with her children Tyler, Manaia and Kobe.

Ashleigh Falgar

Ashleigh, our Administration Assistant, is a key member of our team. Helping out with many aspects of administration, Ashleigh also completes bookkeeping for a variety of clients, manages the NZ Companies Office administration and provides Xero training for our Christchurch office.

Originally from Nelson, Ashleigh moved to Christchurch in 2010 and has since spent a gap year in Australia and gained some valuable experience in administration.

During the weekends Ashleigh likes to spend her time exploring local spots around Canterbury or up at the ski field on her snowboard.

Shaunagh Poutoa

Shaunagh is our friendly Administration Assistant, bringing her experience as our former receptionist to support the team in any way possible and keep everything running smoothly.

Outside of work, she loves swimming in the summer, whether at the beach or river, and values quality time with friends and family. She stays active through gym sessions, walks, biking, and a game of touch – and she’s always got some good music playing in the background!

Liv Gobbie

Liv is our friendly receptionist who’ll be greeting you when you come to visit us in the office or call us on the phone. Helping out with many aspects of administration, Liv ensures all clients and staff are well taken care of.

Outside of work, Liv plays rugby union and 7s for Marist Albion. She’s passionate about photography and looks forward to the family holiday in Kaiteriteri every year. She loves fishing and spending time on the water, and with family and friends being such an important part of her life, she’s always up for some quality time together. She’s also a big fan of country music!

Maggie Harvey

Maggie, a Senior Chartered Accountant on our team, has a wide variety of business accounting knowledge and skillsets that has been acquired from working in accounting practices over the past ten years.

Maggie began her accounting career as an Office Junior in a firm in Christchurch, while studying full-time at the University of Canterbury towards her Bachelor of Commerce, Majoring in Taxation. Maggie is putting all her knowledge and experience to great use here at Sidekick Timaru, and enjoys helping clients in all aspects of accounting and business development.

When Maggie is not working in the Sidekick office or out and about visiting clients, she enjoys running around the beautiful streets of Timaru, running after her gorgeous toddler, and cooking delicious meals. Originally from Ikawai (just out of Waimate), Maggie moved to Timaru from Christchurch in November 2017 and we’re so pleased she did!

Jess Hampton

Jess has a varied accounting background, having worked in both accounting practices and commercial environments, in NZ and overseas.

Jess graduated from Otago University with an LLB and BCom, and then embarked on her accounting career in Wellington. After gaining her Chartered Accountancy, Jess worked in both Dublin and London, while enjoying life on the other side of the world. She eventually returned to her home province and loves working as part of the Sidekick Timaru team to help local businesses achieve their goals.

Outside of work, Jess loves spending time with her family, watching her three boys playing sport and heading to the beach in beautiful Kakanui.

Olivia Rawson

Olivia was born and raised in Christchurch, then moved to Timaru in 2006 where her accounting career started. While working she studied at the local Ara Institute towards a Diploma in Business Accounting and is now a qualified Accounting Technician.

She enjoys working with clients and helping them get an understanding of their accounts and tax.

Outside of work she likes to spend time with her family and their ever expanding zoo, she is also an avid gamer and book worm.

Manish Rawat

Manish, one of our friendly Sidekick Timaru Accountants brings 6 years of experience in the accounting industry, as well as a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Commerce.

Manish’s role at Sidekick Timaru involves a variety of compliance work for our clients, such as end of year financials and GST Returns, and he particularly enjoys the challenging and interesting parts of accounting such as Budgeting and Forecasting.

Outside of work Manish enjoys both watching cricket games and playing cricket, chilling out and watching a movie and exploring new places around Canterbury and beyond.

Lea Gibson

Lea is our amazing Client Services Manager, taking charge of all aspects of our workflow and client relationships. She has the answer to all your Xero, bookkeeping and administration queries – and if she doesn’t, she will put you onto the right person.

Lea has an abundance of experience working in accounts-based roles in both New Zealand and London, as well as in accountancy practices. With a Bachelor of Tourism Management from Lincoln, Lea brings many skills to the Sidekick Timaru office, which continues to be of great benefit to our clients.

A local from a family farm south of Timaru, Lea enjoys spending her spare time gardening, walking her dog and spending time with her two children.

Melissa Williams

Mel looks after anything from client queries to bookkeeping and payroll, and assists the Sidekick Timaru accounting team with a variety of work. With a background of working in the customer service industry, her top priority is maintaining great client and workplace relationships.

When Mel isn’t working, she loves to spend time with her beautiful baby girl, her family on the farm at Tarras or the Ohau bach, and catching up with friends.

Jessie Brown

Jessie is one of our Client Services Manager, taking on all aspects of our workflow, payroll & client relationships. Jessie has recently moved back to South Canterbury with her family after living and working away for several years. Her previous roles have been in the rural sector – which she’s hugely passionate about and is excited about. It’s especially great for some of our Rural clients to have another passionate expert on the team!

Michelle Harper

Michelle is one of our newest Accountants, currently studying towards her BAcc through Massey University.

When Michelle is not working or studying she enjoys spending her time with her two boys, watching them play sport, playing netball and catching up with friends.

Zakiaya Gray

Zakiaya found her passion for accounting during her school year. Now with 3 years’ experience in the accounting industry, she’s continuing to grow her knowledge of many different accounting processes. She enjoys helping her clients succeed in their businesses and watching them grow.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She also enjoys playing golf with her partner and being in the outdoors.

Angelique Van Wyk

Angelique has moved from Central Hawkes Bay to Timaru together with her husband and 6 year old son. She completed her studies in Auckland and became a qualified Chartered Accountant in 2013.

Angelique is looking forward to putting her 10+ years commercial and rural accounting experience to practice with clients at Sidekick. Her passion is helping clients achieve their short and long term personal and business goals.

Outside of work, Angelique enjoys keeping active, gardening, baking and spending time with friends and family.

Letitia Pottle

Letitia (known as Teish) is our Personal Assistant to the directors here at Sidekick.

She brings a wealth of administration experience, working in local government for the past 11 years. She is not afraid of a challenge and knows when something needs her personal touch.

In her downtime, Teish enjoys netball, anything involving crafts and spending time with her daughter.

Dianne Wills

Di has recently joined our team as an administrative assistant, supporting the team in any way possible. As our receptionist, she will greet you when you visit our Timaru office or call us on the phone.

Di has 30-plus years of customer service, administration, and management experience behind her and joins us most recently from her role as Office Manager for a local kindergarten.

When Di isn’t working, she is likely to be curled up with a cuppa and a good book, spending time with family and friends, travelling, and supporting her two girls with their tertiary studies and life beyond the nest.

Jayne

Jayne joined the Sidekick Rangiora in November 2019 as the Client Service Manager. Originally from the UK, she used to run her own successful delivery company, which has given her a great basis to understand, guide and provide the necessary assistance to help build successful businesses for our clients.

Jayne also brings a wealth of administration qualities that she’s gained from working in the Medical, Recruitment and Healthcare sectors and she has a real passion for providing assistance to others.

Jayne lives local to the office with her husband and daughter and most importantly the office dog Marley. She loves going to the movies, shopping and travelling around the amazing sites that New Zealand has to offer.

Lauren Sawtell 

A Chartered Accountant since 2014, Lauren has experience in large and medium sized accounting firms, and was Financial Controller for a Body Corporate Management firm before joining Sidekick.

Lauren enjoys spending time with her daughter and her family, going for walks and enjoying nature. She has a passion for all things Japan, especially cooking, and she enjoys travelling there where she can.

Lauren enjoys working with local businesses and helping them grow.

Katie Moratti

Katie joined the Sidekick team after completing her Bachelor of Commerce at University of Canterbury in 2021, with a Major in Accounting and a Minor in Human Resources.

Katie’s prior business experience includes working in Administration, Customer Service and Supply Chain Management so she has a good understanding of day-to-day business activities.

Katie is a local having lived in Rangiora for most of her life. She enjoys getting involved in her local community and coaching her son’s rugby team. Katie also holds a position on the Board of the Saracens Rugby Football Club.

Katie looks forward to working with local businesses and helping them on their journey to success.

Peter Millar

Peter Millar is a Chartered Accountant, who joined the Sidekick Wānaka team following a period in the UK. The time abroad saw him work for a number of high growth companies focusing on management reporting, financial control and cash flow. With these skills Peter is well equipped to help your business kick on and achieve its full potential.

The opportunity to live and work in Wānaka is something that Peter feels immensely privileged to be able to do. It is his vision to share this passion with his clients.

Anna Jopp

Anna brings worldly Corporate Accounting experience to the team. She worked a stint in the UK and also has gained Chartered Accounting experience a little bit closer to home in her most recent role in Dunedin.

Anna has migrated to Wanaka to join the Sidekick Wanaka team and also to enjoy the lifestyle the town offers. She is fond of Central Otago as a chunk of her childhood was spent growing up on a farm outside of Alexandra. She is looking forward to enjoying running, biking and skiing here and becoming part of the Wanaka community.

Anna says the best part about being a Chartered Accountant is talking to clients from different backgrounds and learning about a variety of businesses and industries.

Anna’s specialty areas include: Medical & Health Clients and Bars & Cafes

Chris Waugh

Chris joined Sidekick Wanaka as a senior Accountant. Chris will be a familiar face to many Wanaka folks. He has been a professional in our town for 17 years; we call him a local!

Chris brings an enormous amount of accounting experience to the team. Accounting has always been his work; he started his career working in private companies then went on to complete his CA degree began working in public practice and never looked back. His wealth of knowledge across many industries and businesses, large and small, is a true asset to our growing team.

Chris is embedded in the Wanaka community through his work with a Charitable Trust, Rotary and the Wanaka Golf Club. He generously donated his time as a Trustee for the Elsie and Ray Armstrong Trust, a wonderful little trust that supports individuals and projects in our town. The Wanaka Golf Club has the largest membership in the South Island and Chris has been Club Captain, in charge of organising tournaments, Club Champs and competitions; a mighty role that sees his name permanently etched in the Club’s history books. Chris jokes it is a sure-fire way to get your name on the wall of the Club Honours Board

Chris lives with his wife here in Wanaka and has a daughter who also works in Wanaka. We are pleased to have Chris on the team; he understands our town, he knows the people, and is a core part of our community.

Andrea Bono

Andrea comes with a strong administration background with over 25 years’ experience ranging from Receptionist, Personal Assistant and Office Manager. She is qualified as a Microsoft Office Specialist and has also worked as a child-care worker for some years gaining important people skills that come in handy within a Personal Assistant role.

She has enjoyed living in beautiful Wanaka for over 15 years – a true South Islander having grown up in South Canterbury. When she’s not at work, Andrea enjoys all things food-related including cooking for friends. With family ties in Italy, she enjoys travelling to Europe or reliving the Italian experience by cooking Italian food.

With a friendly, happy disposition, she is the first contact when dealing with Findlay Sidekick.

Erika Kuzma

Erika moved from Australia to Wanaka in 2014, and has not looked back. She is a qualified Accounting Technician and specialises in small businesses and GST returns.

Although Erika spent most of her spare time in a boxing gym in Australia, she has hung up her boxing gloves and swapped them for a snowboard, learning how to snowboard for the first time after moving to Wanaka. Since catching the snow-bug, Erika has enjoyed trips to Japan and Canada with her husband, and tries her best to keep up with him on the ski slopes.

As a mother, Erika relishes time with family and is enjoying the great work-life balance Wanaka provides.

Kirsty Tapper

Kirsty is a qualified Accounting Technician with a Post Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting. She specialises in small businesses and GST returns.

She relocated to Wanaka to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle and escape Auckland traffic! Kirsty loves the outdoors and living near the mountains where she can snowboard on the weekends in the winter and relax by the lake in the summer.

Prior to moving to Wanaka, Kirsty has spent time living in the French Alps as well as working on superyachts.

Kirsty also has a strong administration background, but perhaps what stands out the most about Kirsty, and a common thread amongst all of this, is her strength in building relationships. Which is exactly why she is a great fit in the Sidekick team.

Keighley Redshaw

Keighley is a well-known local that is the friendly face you’ll be greeted by at reception when you come to our office. Keighley is our admin superstar and assists our admin team and the Sidekick Wanaka accounting team with a variety of work. With a background of working in the hospitality industry, her top priority is maintaining great client and workplace relationships.

When Keighley isn’t working, she loves to spend time with her beautiful daughter,
head up the hill skiing or just chill enjoying the Wanaka lifestyle,

Sarah Veasey

Sarah is the Client Relationship Manager in the Wanaka office!

She grew up right here in Wanaka from age 10 – and has been here 18 years! She now lives here with her two kids, Jacob and Alandria.

Sarah loves to play sport, mainly play netball and futsal. She’s also a bit of a gym and CrossFit bunny – and she’s off to the Gold Coast in October to compete in the Spartan race.

Previously, Sarah worked for Kiwibank in Wanaka, for 4 ½ years and even before that she worked as a barista with Keighley from Sidekick Wanaka office!

We’re stoked to have Sarah as part of the team!

Monique Gilbert 

Monique was born and raised in South Canterbury and started her Accounting career in one of Timaru’s major practices. She has relocated to Wanaka to join her partner at the beautiful Mt Aspiring Station and is loving the lifestyle. One of the main things that attracted Monique onto the Accounting path is her passion to help people. She is so passionate about accounting that she is completing an accounting degree through the Open Polytechnic while working 4 days a week in our Wanaka office. Monique is bright, bubbly and a perfect addition to our team.

Florencia Santillan 

Florencia is our client manager with a knack for diving into different industries. With a degree in Public Accounting from Argentina, she’s worked everywhere from Queenstown Resort College to Volvo Car Corp and construction companies in Spain. She’s also spent time in hospitality while on a working holiday in New Zealand and has done accounting and auditing back in Argentina. Outside of work, you’ll find her snowboarding, paddleboarding, running, or snapping photos of her adventures!

Ewan Little 

Ewan is a long-term Wanaka local and an important part of our admin team.  Sidekick Wanaka is a proud supporter of the local Mint Trust and we were excited to work with them to recruit Ewan as our Chief Office Assistant.  When you visit our office, you will find a very well-stocked lolly jar – the favourite of Ewan’s many tasks. When he’s not at work, you’ll find Ewan horse-riding or supporting the Highlanders – He is their number-one fan!

Mat Prichard 

Mat Prichard, our Client Manager, oversees client relationships, ensuring their financial needs are met with precision and care. As a qualified Chartered Accountant with previous experience at Snow Sports New Zealand and various Wanaka accounting offices, Mat brings a wealth of expertise to the role. When he’s not helping clients, you can find him on the disc golf course, where he even competed in the Australian Disc Golf Champs in 2022!

Tom Taiaroa

Tom started his accounting career with us in late 2020 after completing his BCom, majoring in Finance at Otago University.

Tom is now starting the journey to becoming a fully qualified Chartered Accountant. In the office, Tom is continuing to gain experience in accounting for a range of businesses, and enjoys the variety of work that Sidekick Timaru offers.

In his own time, Tom enjoys spending time on the bowling green to relax.

Dave Jessep

Dave’s spent over 20 years in accounting and he still loves coming to work every day. He founded the company back in 2006, and his infectious enthusiasm has helped him build a company of talented staff who are excited to be part of DJCA.

As you’d expect, Dave is a member of the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants. He’s also a Mentor with the Business Mentors of NZ program, and is especially skilled at advising clients from all kinds of industries in strategy, planning, goal setting, and implementing business structures.

Dave played hooker for Marlborough Boys’ College and won the Matthews Cup for Most Outstanding Player (ahead of Anton Oliver, who was maybe 14 at the time). He now enjoys running and biking with his kids.

Joy Mulrey

Meet Joy, our brilliant accountant who keeps our finances in top shape. With experience at Fergburger and MedRecruit, plus running her own bookkeeping business, she brings a wealth of knowledge to our team. Joy holds a Law Degree (LLB) and is currently pursuing her Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification. When she’s not crunching numbers, you can find her on the netball court, exploring new travel destinations, or soaking up the beauty of Queenstown, which she proudly calls home.

Julie Copland

Whilst also being a Chartered Accountant, Julie has a passion for projects and improving business processes. Julie works across the Sidekick Group to find better and smarter ways to work.

After attending Lincoln University, Julie was in the New Zealand Airforce where she was a Logistics Officer, organising the deployment of both staff and equipment within New Zealand and around the world. She then moved home to Canterbury to pursue Accounting and has since had roles in a Chartered Accounting firm in Ashburton, as a Management Accountant for Ravensdown, and then more lately Midlands Apiaries.

Outside of work Julie loves playing squash and netball, travelling, and spending time with her husband Dan and son Thomas.

Victoria Hay

Victoria is a digital marketing guru, her most recent position was with Harrison Bloy as their Digital Marketing Manager. She has a Bachelor of Design specialising in multimedia. She has recently returned from a 5 month break where she hiked the full Te Araroa trail (3,000 kms from Cape Reinga to Bluff), a pretty amazing feat! Other than tramping Victoria is also a keen runner and horse rider. Victoria will be based in the Christchurch office and possibly a bit from home & Selwyn too.

Jimmy

Jimmy is our newest intern. He is a little Jack Russell and Fox Terrier cross, and he comes into the office most days of the week with Ayumi. He is very young and a little shy.  Whilst he is still learning how to be a good office dog and greet clients, he has already got the entertaining and uplifting of his workmates sorted.

Outside of his work hours you will find him running and foraging in the red zone, hanging out with his doggy friends, and getting lots of good cuddles from his doting parents. We love having him in the office, and he never fails to brighten up our days.