Across the Offices: Our April 23 round-up

Run as fast as you can

Teams that play together stay together, and 12 of our Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Wellington team members did just that in Round the Bays in February. The 10km walk/run category was perfectly tailored to some of the office’s fittest athletes, namely Matt Sutherland and Simon Smith, as they galloped along the harbour front from Waitangi Park to Kilbirnie Park, coming 74^th and 411^th respectively in their field of 2361 athletes.

But the sad story of the day goes to Business Advisory and Taxation Services partner Matt Bonner, avid runner of the past who recently became a dad and no longer has time for such excesses as jogging around without good reason. Like a formerly well-muscled thoroughbred, he got off to a cracking start only to blow out a calf muscle, bringing him to an abrupt halt about 2km into the race.

He says he’ll be back next year though, continuing the office’s 10-year participation streak (bar an event cancellation due to covid), and says the team also had fun afterwards. “We had a cool time, sharing stories over brunch. You sometimes see a different side of people outside of the office.”

Pulling together in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle

After a rough couple of months during and since Cyclone Gabrielle, our Hawke’s Bay team recently gathered for a Pipi Pizza meal. It was a welcome lunchbreak of bonding while they continue helping clients in the aftermath. 

While many of the team escaped unscathed with properties intact, there were team members who lost their possessions and the whole team has felt the weight of the devastation across their region. Family, clients and friends have been directly affected and the tales have been heart-wrenching.

“It’s still raw to us… and it has changed the way we operate with some of our clients,” says Business Advisory Services director Michelle Valler. “We were reaching out to our clients to make sure they were okay and it became a lot more personal in a positive way. I recently saw some clients who I would usually greet by shaking hands – but they arrived and gave me a hug. I don’t think this will continue, but the cyclone made you appreciate the importance of the people behind your working relationships,” she says.

Helping cancer patients, one apartment at a time

The new Canterbury Cancer Centre is due to open its doors next month and Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Christchurch has jumped on board, sponsoring a whanau/family apartment for three years. The centre will offer integrated cancer support for patients from across the South Island and its roomy family/whānau apartments will provide valued time together for families who cannot be apart during treatment.

“When the directors here looked at the benefits that this new facility will provide – not just for people in Christchurch but for the whole South Island, we leapt at the opportunity to be involved,” says director Dorian Crighton. “Cancer touches so many people and we saw that we – through supporting the Canterbury Cancer Centre and Cancer Society – could have a positive impact on others as they travel through difficult times.”

If you’d like to support the centre, it has a More Precious website, featuring information and news, along with sponsorship opportunities and a registry of gifts that can be paid for through the website.

Getting the hang of women’s clothing

Ten members of our Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Auckland team had a blast when they spent their annual Volunteer Day helping Dress for Success Auckland recently. The outing, which saw them help unload a truck full of stock and create a pop-up clothes shop at Ormiston Town Centre, provided plenty of mirth to those who observed younger team members puzzling over womanly garments. “Some of the boys were hilarious, trying to work out, ‘what is this?’” says Human Resources manager Kate Julian. “But they did a great job.”

Dress for Success is a cause that’s close to her heart. For the past 10 years she’s been a volunteer for the worldwide organisation, which empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a support network, professional attire and development tools. “I really like how it assists people who’ve been out of the workplace for a long time,” says Kate.

If you’re interested in donating time, money or clothing, the Dress for Success Auckland website lists the details for branches across New Zealand.

Duck race a quacker for mental health

More than 3000 toy ducks bobbed down a New Plymouth stream recently in the name of mental health. The Waimanako Duck Race was staged to support the Taranaki Retreat, which provides a range of mental health support services and a venue for people that need help or a quiet space for escape.

Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Taranaki was in the thick of it, decorating corporate ducks Cash and Flow, and winning the “awhi” award for the team’s efforts in promoting the event and getting more people involved. “There was a lot of interest and it was a moment of connection and fun,” says the firm‘s marketing manager Sarah Ellem. “There was a really wonderful sense of community – people from all walks of life getting together to champion a great cause; and it gave us all the space to talk about mental health.”

The February 25 duck race raised more than $4,000, which will be used to fund therapeutic support for people going through tough times.

Tauranga promotes Fantastic Four

Our Tauranga office has four new associates! Rhys Grosvenor (audit and assurance), Brad Garner, Matt Marshall and Matt Washer (all Business Advisory Services) were promoted to the position last month. They’re well respected in their roles, and their colleagues had this to say about them:

Rhys Grosvenor – They say auditors like to keep good records (and) it’s true. Rhys’s personal vinyl collection is impressive, but accurate financial statements really are music to his ears. Brad Garner – Complex problem-solving is one of Brad’s inbuilt skills, mostly from education an experience, but his main role as a dad of two young girls has really helped him master that!

Matt Marshall – Matt likes to win… whether it’s a triathlon, a round of golf, or solving a complex tax issue for his clients. Matt Washer – Driving better business outcomes for clients is what gets Matt out of bed; unless the fish are biting of course; but even then, he’s always thinking and problem solving.

Together with their colleagues, this dynamic foursome can help ensure the future success of your business or organisation.

Keeping pace with Harold

Baker Tilly Staples Rodway has a literal Pet Project – Harold the Giraffe. Pictured here with Merryn Telfer (left, Business Advisory and Rural Specialist Services Associate) and Natalya Bridger from our Waikato office, Harold is the very public face of Life Education Trust, which is sponsored by our national network.  

Last month, a team of five from Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Waikato supported their local Run for Harold event, walking or running a total of 763 kilometres. Merryn, who is also deputy chairperson for the Life Education Trust Hamilton, found a novel way to participate – she incessantly paced her newly-seeded lawn while watering it by hand up to three times a day.

“I remember Life Ed, the mobile classroom and Harold from when I was at school. It was magical,” she says. “I love that the Trust teaches children about identity, resilience, nutrition and the human body – and it was great to have Baker Tilly Staples Rodway teammates along for the ride while we all took part in Run for Harold!”