Balanced Books - Qualified Accountant

Earlier this week I found the bottle of bubbles I bought to celebrate last year’s win. It never quite got its proper cheers, and it sent me back through the official photos from this year's 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗡𝗭 𝗩𝗔 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀. ✨

Tomorrow night that bottle finally gets its moment. It’s also Ed’s and my 6th Wedding Anniversary, so we’ll be raising a glass to both.

Ed wasn’t in the room in Kirikiriroa, but he’s the reason I could be there. He’s the quiet team member behind Balanced Books, the one who makes it possible for me to do the work I love, every single day. This one is his too. ❤️

Looking back through these photos, what I love most is the people. The moment my name was called, the hug at my table, the dance floor, and everyone who cheered me on.

A big thank you to Anita Burgess Photography for capturing the night so beautifully. Having one of my biz besties behind the camera always makes it even more special.

I genuinely love what I get to do and help others while I do it. That still feels pretty awesome. Success truly feels better when it’s shared 🥂

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿!

As we step into the new month, here are some 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 to keep in mind.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars and stay on top of important events.

📅 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 - Breast Cancer Awareness 🎗️
📅 𝟏𝟎 - Emma & Ed's Wedding Anniversary - In the weekend this time.
📅 𝟭𝟭 - School Holidays End
📅 𝟐𝟬 - 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗗𝗘𝗗) 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲
📅 𝟮𝟯 - Hawke's Bay Anniversary
📅 𝟮𝟲 - Labour Day
📅 𝟮𝟴 - 𝗚𝗦𝗧 𝗱𝘂𝗲
📅 𝟑𝟏 - Halloween

𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙! 👻

✨ 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 - 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿!! 🏆

At the risk of repeating myself... I do need to share this one. ❤️

And please bear with my TED Talk because this one might be long 😅 There are a few thank yous I need to say, and a bit of a journey to acknowledge about how we got here. There will definitely be some follow-up posts, especially when the official photos arrive!

Last night, Virtual Professionals from all over Aotearoa came together for the NZ Virtual Assistant Awards, and I am incredibly proud to share that 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗡𝗭 was awarded 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲!

It's already been a rather extraordinary year for Balanced Books, and after the recognition we've received from both ICNZB and NZQBA, this feels a little like the cherry on top of a bookkeeping awards hat trick I never expected to have.

Having Institute of Certified NZ Bookkeepers sponsor the Top Performing Bookkeeper Award this year made it feel even more full circle.

When I stood on stage at the ICNZB Excellence Awards earlier this year, there was so much happening in our lives that I don't think I ever really stopped and understood what we'd achieved. I was mostly concentrating on looking after my family, my clients, keeping everything moving and getting through whatever life threw at us next.

& life certainly doubled down this year. but Apparently, so did I.

We kept learning, improving our systems, doing the mahi and looking after our clients. And somehow, amongst all of it, Balanced Books has continued to go from strength to strength.

So to actually stand on another stage last night and hear our name called was a pretty incredible moment.

Even more special was having more than a handful of my clients in the room celebrating alongside me. These awards might have my name on them, but the work behind them comes from the businesses and people who trust me to be part of their journey.

Thank you for letting me into your businesses, trusting me with your numbers, sharing the plans and challenges, and allowing me to do work I genuinely love. ❤️

I also need to say that I was incredibly proud to stand alongside Kathryn, Nikki & Tash as finalists for Community Contributor.
I love that this community works because so many people simply show up, share what they know and support the people around them.
A massive congratulations to Kat on taking this one home. ❤️ You absolutely deserve it! Here's a personal thank you from me for everything you've done, this year and in the years before it, to help this community shine.

A huge thank you to Marianne and Toyah for everything you do through Virtual Assistant Network New Zealand and The VA Foundry. For taking on this community and ensuring it could continue to thrive, grow and evolve alongside our industry, and of course for everything that goes into bringing these awards together.
To all the sponsors and judges who give their time, expertise and support, thank you too.

& to my fellow VPs, biz besties, fellow bookkeepers, friends, family and especially Ed, thank you. There are a whole lot of people behind these photos who have encouraged, referred, listened, helped, checked in, celebrated the good stuff and simply been there through the rest.

None of this happens alone.

There are plenty more people and moments I want to share once the official photos arrive. But for now, I'm going to let myself soak this one in. 🥹
& while it does, it's back to getting the work over the line, getting clients up to date, and getting into the proactive planning I love. Understanding what the numbers are telling us, helping our clients work out what comes next, and seeing where we can take things from here. We'll keep learning together, doing the mahi, sharing what we know and going from strength to strength. & see who else we can help along the way.

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 🏆Another one to add to a list I still can't quite believe is mine.❤️

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 - full in every sense of the word, and after the last few weeks especially, this is the one I have been looking forward to. There is something about being with my virtual community in person that takes it to another level, the clients, the coaches, the fellow business owners and the people I look up to, all in the same room.

𝟭𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 before the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗡𝗭 𝗩𝗔 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀! ✨

I can't wait to catch up with my fellow finalists and VA friends again in person, thanks to the wonderful team behind these awards, Virtual Assistant Network New Zealand and The VA Foundry, with Toyah and Marianne now at the helm.

Another exciting weekend to be had up in Hamilton; 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦...

Thank you again to my clients, family, friends, VA support crew, the judges, and the sponsors, especially:
Institute of Certified NZ Bookkeepers (ICNZB), sponsor of the Top Performing Bookkeeper Award, and
JuicyCRM, sponsor of the Community Contributor Award, my two categories this year.

Big congratulations to my fellow finalists; see you on the night, Saturday 19 September:
Top Performing Bookkeeper Finalists: Tiffany Hubbard (Inner Circle Consulting) and Mel Weston (Virtual Mel - Business Admin Solutions)
Community Contributors: Tash Budd (Admin Collective NZ), Nikki Bollen (Nota Bene), and Kathryn Hill (One Echo Alpha)

A few weeks on, and I'm finally sitting back at my desk, and right beside me are my ICNZB awards, cheering me along.

So I'm just taking a moment. Life has been full, and I haven't really had the chance to let it all sink in until now, but we're getting there.

At the ICNZB Excellence Awards in Napier, Balanced Books NZ was named 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 iPayroll 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿, and I was named 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 MYOB 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿.

The truth is, I was only just beginning to absorb it all when the next leg of what has been a real rollercoaster of a year began. The weeks since have been full, in ways some of you will know and others can probably guess. 𝕀𝕐𝕂𝕐𝕂. We're home now, and I'm so glad to be here, back at my desk and ready to get stuck into what I love.

& what a night it was to look back on. We frocked up Gatsby-style, celebrated alongside some truly wonderful people, and I got to share the moment with fellow winners and friends from across our profession. My cup was, and still is, very full.

I just wanted to take another chance to thank the Institute of Certified NZ Bookkeepers for the honour, for the community, and for being exactly what a professional home should be, for bookkeepers, by bookkeepers.

There was so much packed into the conference too, especially around resilience, a theme that has landed differently for me this year than I ever expected. My notebook is full, and my head is still buzzing, so I'll be back with some of those reflections once I've had a chance to catch up on where I want to be at this time of year.

For now, it's time to get my head down and back into the work, with a heart full of gratitude. Let's get on with it. I'm really looking forward to what this year brings, with this as the foundation.

Onwards & Upwards

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿!

As we 𝕊𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 into the new month, here are some 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 to keep in mind.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars and stay on top of important events.
📅 𝟬𝟭 - Random Acts of Kindness Day
📅 𝟬𝟲 - Father’s Day
📅 𝟭𝟳-𝟮𝟬 - Balanced Books > Traveling for VA NZ Awards
📅 𝟭𝟵 - VA NZ Awards Night (Wish me luck!)
📅 𝟮𝟮 - 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗗𝗘𝗗) 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲
📅 𝟮𝟱 - School Holidays Begin
📅 𝟮𝟲 - Blossom Festival (Alexandra)
📅 𝟮𝟳 - Daylight Savings starts - spring those clocks forward one hour
📅 𝟮𝟴 - Canterbury (South) Anniversary

𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙! 🌻

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: If you file & pay 𝗚𝗦𝗧 and/or pay 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗮𝘅, it is ᴅᴜᴇ 𝟮𝟴 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

If you haven't already, now's the time to get your GST return filed and your payment scheduled.

✔ GST return filed
✔ Provisional tax amount confirmed, if applicable
✔ Payments scheduled for 28 August

🏆 MEET YOUR 2026 NZQBA BOOKKEEPER OF THE YEAR! 🏆

A huge congratulations to Emma Diver from Balanced Books - Qualified Accountant, who was named Bookkeeper of the Year at the 2026 NZQBA Bookkeeping Awards!

Emma couldn't be with us in person on Friday, but there was absolutely no way we were letting that stop us from celebrating her! She joined us via phone as we announced the result – and we loved being able to share the moment with her.

The Bookkeeper of the Year Award recognises an outstanding Bookkeeper who demonstrates excellence in their work, a genuine commitment to their clients and a positive contribution to the bookkeeping profession.

Emma, we are incredibly proud to recognise you as our 2026 winner.

Please join us in giving her a HUGE congratulations!

And stay tuned… Emma will [hopefully] be joining Kenn + Sandi for a special winner's episode of Behind the Books very soon.



📸 Nigel from White Door Photography

I know it's been a few days now, but I'm excited to share that on Friday last week I was named the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗡𝗭𝗤𝗕𝗔 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 & I'm still taking it in...

This year's NZQBA Conference had a Mission: Impossible theme, and to borrow a quote from their Fallout movie (& doesn't that title just describe my year😅):
"𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳, '𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮.' 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, '𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮.'"

Here I am, with plans to do exactly that. This year may have been a rollercoaster that keeps giving extra, but we're pulling through, with plans to carry on bigger and better than before. Watch this space.

The New Zealand Qualified Bookkeepers Association gave me the opportunity to advocate for change in our industry and raise our profession, and I grabbed it with both hands. That's what bookkeeping does: it makes what might look impossible to a business owner; possible. It turns chaos into clarity, behind the scenes of thousands of New Zealand businesses every single day. And I am keen to keep bringing us into the light and the forefront, so everyone understands what we do and why they need us.

The conference photos dropped today (thank you to Nigel from White Door Photography) - the FOMO is very real; on Friday & again today seeing them all come through. It looks like an incredible day was had by all. I have put together a little collage from the highlights just to share some of the fun.

Thank you to everyone who celebrated on my behalf. It meant more than you know.

A special shoutout to Amanda, my proxy phone holder on the day, and to my fellow finalists: Jaymie, who also joined from afar via FaceTime (thanks to Heidi for her phone holding), & to Mel and Tiffany, who organised beautiful Thank-You flowers to Kenn and Sandi for all their hard work. Thank you again, NZQBA.

And to those in the extended NZQBA team and wider community who sent the loveliest messages: Chantelle, Kellie, Amber, Marianne, Toyah-Maree, Christine, Zoe, Claire, to name a few (PS - I just loved all your outfits!). You all made the distance feel a little smaller.

Congratulations to the Bookkeeping Business of the Year Winner: Mrs Tradie Office Lady. We are all here to build the future of this profession together.

Thank you to the judges, exhibitors, sponsors and everyone who made the conference happen.

To the wider NZQBA community, who have stepped up to accept the mission: let's change the world. One Balanced Book at a time.

Mission: Possible. For everyone.

Today is the 𝗡𝗭𝗤𝗕𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 and while I can't be there in person (& I am genuinely gutted!), I am right where I need to be, with my family. I am STILL incredibly proud and thankful to have been named a 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

Being recognised alongside such talented, values-driven bookkeepers across Aotearoa is such an honour.

A huge thank you to the New Zealand Qualified Bookkeepers Association for continuing to champion our profession, and congratulations to all the finalists and award winners being celebrated today. Your hard work, care, and professionalism truly raise the standard for us all.

To my wonderful clients and my family - thank you for your trust, patience, and support through every season. You're the reason I get to do what I love.

A special thanks also to the sponsors, exhibitors, keynote speaker and MC for helping make today's event possible and for celebrating the impact bookkeepers have across New Zealand businesses.

Even from afar, I'm cheering everyone on - soak up every moment, and I can't wait to hear all about it.

Here's to Balanced Books, Brilliant Bookkeepers, and the people who make it all worthwhile!