The Future Looks Busy for Bookkeepers

The Future Looks Busy for Bookkeepers
– says professional body

The bookkeeping community must brace itself to play an even greater role in New Zealand business – says the New Zealand Bookkeeping Association Inc (NZBAI).

The announcement, made at the industry body’s recent ‘Future of Bookkeeping’ conference in Auckland, says the fast pace of new financial technology and the changing perception of the bookkeeping profession will propel Bookkeepers into ‘trusted advisor’ roles – particularly within the SME market.

NZBAI President, Di Crawford-Errington explains: “Traditionally Bookkeepers have been data-entry operators, looking after the numbers but not necessarily interpreting the information for business owners. The financial software revolution and the advent of the ‘cloud’ changed all this. Systems like Xero empowered Bookkeepers by enabling them to see the bigger financial picture – putting Bookkeepers in a position where they can now assess financial risk on a day-to-day basis.”

At the conference, which took place from Friday 30th June to Saturday 1st July – Ms Crawford-Errington told over 150 delegates that as financial technology continues to advance, so more and more SME business owners will look to their Bookkeeper for first-hand information. She added that business owners are also becoming more savvy about the bookkeeping profession and are now seeing a qualified bookkeeper as integral to the success of their company.

“As these trends continue, so Bookkeepers will start to take on a greater role in the every day running of a business. To prepare for this, the bookkeeping community needs to start encouraging all bookkeepers – those in large organisations as well as those who work from the benchtop at home – to increase their knowledge, upskill and become certified.”

The NZBAI is the bookkeeping industry’s professional body. Founded in 2010 to provide a forum where bookkeepers nationwide could find help, guidance and support, its key functions include setting industry standards and encouraging bookkeeping certification. The organisation now has over 650 members. The recent conference, the organisation’s fifth, was opened by Hon. Jacqui Dean, Minister for Small Business.

e n d s

© Scoop Media