Relishing ‘the best of both worlds’ in Taranaki

Deanne Macdonald planned her career when she was just a wee blonde child. Having grown up on a farm, she wanted to marry a farmer and continue that lifestyle.

Instead she had a succession of other roles then, with encouragement from her husband Bruce, did a part-time accounting paper at a local polytechnic, achieving an “A+” to her surprise and excitement.

She then completed her accounting diploma and degree, alongside raising their two children. “Getting my degree then qualifying as a chartered accountant was a really big thing,” she says. “It was something I never thought I could do, but the more I learned, the more I enjoyed it and I’m forever grateful to all the people whose support allowed me to achieve those milestones.”

She began her career at a Big Four accounting firm, but a chance meeting with a director from what was then Staples Rodway Taranaki led to her joining the firm in 2000. “I came to work here and I've never left and never want to leave.”

There are many things she quickly became enamoured with: Being exposed to numerous industries early in her career, the privilege of being someone who could help people succeed in business, and the warm feeling of being trusted when clients opened up about their lives and family     

Deanne is one of those people who are universally loved – warm, enthusiastic, trustworthy and all-embracing. So when the team expanded to 50 staff and six directors in the mid-2000s, it was an easy decision to create a new General Manager position for her. After more than two decades with the firm, she loves her work as much as ever. 

“I've built some incredible relationships with clients. I always thought accounting wasn't about people, but as advisors we become an important part of their lives. I've also seen young grads come through and love watching their progress. You see them grow and develop and think, ‘gosh, look at where you're at now’.  

“We’ve got the best of both worlds. Our national and global network provides opportunity, expertise and reach. We’re big enough to have the benefits of the Big Four (accounting firms), but small enough to be friendly, personal and agile. The directors really care about our staff. It’s also an interesting company. You can’t begin to imagine how much you learn. It's not just doing the numbers – there's a very big ‘people’ side to it. We have good exposure to different industries, interesting clients and diverse projects, and no two days are the same.”

– Click here for our New Graduates page and click here if you’re interested in our current vacancies or registering for a future role. We look forward to hearing from you!