Wanaka

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 served as the Treasurer for the Alpine Community Development Trust for nine years, the governing body for Community Link Upper Clutha. Peter is also part of the local Toastmasters organisation and the Upper Clutha Tramping Club, where he currently serves as treasurer. 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!

Mat Prichard 

Mat works closely with clients to understand their goals, challenges, and what success looks like for them. As a qualified Chartered Accountant, he brings a strong mix of commercial insight and hands-on experience, including time at Snow Sports NZ and running his own accounting practice. Known for his genuine care and people-first approach, Mat focuses on building trusted relationships and providing advice that’s practical, relevant, and tailored to each business. Outside of work, he enjoys staying active with his two young boys, hitting the slopes on his snowboard, or competing on the disc golf course.

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

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.

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 manages the workflow of our busy practice with enthusiasm, efficiency and fantastic problem-solving skills. Her warm, friendly personality makes her the perfect person for the job, and with a background of working in the hospitality industry, her top priority is maintaining great client and workplace relationships.

Sarah Veasey

Sarah has been with Sidekick Wanaka for several years now in a Client Service role and has now taken the opportunity to step into an accounting career.

She grew up right here in Wanaka from age 10 and 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.

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

Phillippa Findlay

Phillippa is a Chartered Accountant and senior member of team. Her strengths uphold the Sidekick philosophy to ‘Keep it Simple’. She is responsible for preparing compliance and management reports. She is able to set up smart systems to help clients manage their accounting easily. Phillippa has long-term clients in her portfolio that she has worked with for many years; she has knowledge of their businesses and has built strong client relationships. Phillippa is known for her friendly yet meticulous nature when it comes to accounting.

Phillippa is a driven woman who attacks accounting and outdoor pursuits with passion.  Phillippa is a straight shooter and a logical smart thinker. Phillippa is a smart cookie and an amazing goal achiever.

Phillippa’s specially areas include:  Family Trusts and Trades/Construction

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!

Madi Smith

Madi was raised in Melbourne, Australia and moved to Wanaka for the life-style. She plays netball, loves the gym, hanging out at the lake with friends, travelling, food and the odd cocktail.  She is an avid snowboarder and has spent some time living in Canada before settling in Wanaka. She has a strong financial background and is the perfect fit for us. 

Seth Peters

Seth joined Sidekick Wanaka in 2026 after graduating from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Finance and minoring in Accounting. He brings a fresh, youthful perspective to the office and is keen to continuing his learning journey.

Outside of work, Seth loves making the most of the outdoors. In winter you’ll usually find him on his snowboard, and in summer he’s often out wakeboarding, surfing, on top of a mountain, or at a festival. He enjoys staying active and getting outside whenever he can.

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.

Ric Thorpe

Ric Thorpe is the CEO of Sidekick Chartered Accountants, leading a fast-growing, modern accountancy group focused on helping business owners be more successful.

Ric’s background is in sales and marketing, and he brings a commercial, practical mindset to the accounting profession. He works across the Sidekick network to drive growth, strengthen culture, and ensure clients receive advice that is clear, relevant, and actually makes a difference to their business.

Today, Sidekick is a multi-office group with a strong presence across New Zealand, combining local ownership with national capability. Ric plays a key role in expanding the group through new offices, partnerships, and supporting ambitious accountants who want to build something better, whether that’s growing an existing firm or starting one within the Sidekick model.

A big part of Ric’s focus is developing people. He coaches and facilitates Sidekick Squads, bringing together team members from across the country to improve communication, workflow, leadership, and client outcomes. These sessions are designed to create confident, capable professionals who take ownership and deliver real value.

Ric is also a regular speaker at business and industry events, sharing practical insights on growth, client engagement, and building high-performing teams. Through initiatives like SidekickTV, he helps communicate ideas, stories, and strategies that support both clients and the wider business community.

At his core, Ric is passionate about culture and clarity. He believes that when people understand what success looks like, have the right support around them, and enjoy the environment they work in, great results follow

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!

Manoli De Silva

Manoli keeps the team running smoothly, making sure all the day-to-day details are taken care of. She has a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of London and a master’s in international relations from the University of Colombo, she has worked across law firms, UN agencies, and the government sector. Her experience in different environments gives her a strong eye for detail and a knack for keeping things organised and on track.

A massive foodie, Manoli loves cooking and trying out new restaurants. She also enjoys running and staying active, and likes to unwind with a good book and a glass of wine. Most of all, she treasures spending time with her husband and their two young daughters. 

Steph Holt

Steph is the creative mind behind Sidekick’s brand – making sure everything from marketing campaigns to internal events reflects who we are and what we stand for. With over 15 years of experience in design and strategy, she loves finding fresh, meaningful ways to bring the Sidekick story to life. From shaping how our brand looks and feels to creating moments that connect our team and clients, Steph brings a mix of curiosity, energy, and heart to everything she does.

Outside of work, Steph enjoys spending time with her son Ollie and tending to her ever-growing veggie patch – a creative outlet that balances her busy, design-filled days.

Helen Pauley

Helen is a Marlburian who has travelled the world and landed back here. Having a varied work life from managing a regional office for a multi-national advertising firm, owning a hospitality business to practice management of a medical practice, Helen brings a bucket load of skills. Communication is her flag ship skill and she enjoys problem solving. Resourceful and fun, pretty much sums her up.

She is married to Gary, who is a Business Advisor and in their spare time they love to travel to family & friends, experience the great outdoors and discovering new recipes and flavours, accompanied by a glass of fine wine.