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Business valuations
We offer expert valuation advice in transactions, regulatory and administrative matters, and matters subject to dispute – valuing businesses, shares and intangible assets in a wide range of industries.
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Capital markets
You need corporate finance specialists experienced in international capital markets on your side if you’re buying or selling financial securities.
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Complex and international services
Our experience of multi-jurisdictional insolvencies coupled with our international reputation allows us to deliver the best possible outcome for all stakeholders.
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Corporate insolvency
Our corporate investigation and recovery teams can help you manage insolvency situations and facilitate the best outcome.
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Debt advisory
An optimal funding structure for your organisation presents unprecedented opportunities, but achieving this can be difficult without a trusted advisor.
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Expert witness
Our expert witnesses analyse, interpret, summarise and present complex financial and business-related issues which are understandable and properly supported.
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Financial models
A sound financial model will help you understand the impact of your decisions before you make them. Talk to us about our user-friendly models.
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Forensic and investigation services
We provide investigative accounting and litigation support services for commercial, matrimonial, criminal, business valuation and insurance disputes.
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Independent business review
Is your business viable? Will it remain viable in the future? A thorough independent business review can help your organisation answer these fundamental questions.
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IT forensics
Effective ESI analysis is integral to the success of your business. Our IT forensics experts have the technical expertise to identify, preserve and interrogate electronic data.
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Mergers and acquisitions
Grant Thornton provides strategic and execution support for mergers, acquisitions, sales and fundraising.
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Raising finance
Raising finance - funders value partners who can deliver a robust financial model, a sound business strategy and rigorous planning. We can guide you through the challenges that these transactions can pose and help you build a foundation for long term success once the deal is done.
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Relationship property services
Grant Thornton offers high quality independent advice on the many financial issues associated with relationship property from considering an individual financial issue to all aspects of a complex settlement.
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Restructuring and turnaround
Grant Thornton’s restructuring and turnaround service capabilities include cash flow, liquidity management and forecasting; crisis and interim management; financial advisory services to companies and parties in transition and distress
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Transaction advisory
Our depth of market knowledge will steer you through the transaction process. Grant Thornton’s dynamic teams offer range of financial, commercial and operational expertise.
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Virtual asset advisory
Helping you navigate the world of virtual currencies and decentralised financial systems.
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Corporate tax
Grant Thornton can identify tax issues, risks and opportunities in your organisation and implement strategies to improve your bottom line.
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Employment tax
Grant Thornton’s advisers can help you with PAYE (payroll tax), Kiwisaver, fringe benefits tax (FBT), student loans, global mobility services, international tax
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Global mobility services
Our team can help expatriates and their employers deal with tax and employment matters both in New Zealand and overseas. With the correct planning advice, employee allowances and benefits may be structured to avoid double taxation and achieve tax savings.
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GST
GST has the potential to become a minefield and can be expensive when it goes wrong. Our technical knowledge can help you minimise the negative impact of GST
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International tax
International tax rules are undergoing their biggest change in a generation. Tax authorities around the world are increasingly vigilant, especially when it comes to global operations.
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Research and Development
R&D tax incentives are often underused and misunderstood – is your business maximising opportunities for making claims?
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Tax compliance
Our advisers help clients manage the critical issue of compliance across accountancy regulations, corporation law and tax. We also offer business and wealth advisory services, which means we can provide a seamless and tax-effective offering to our clients.
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Tax governance
Mitigate tax risks and implement best practice governance that will stand up to IRD scrutiny and audits.
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Transfer pricing
Tax authorities are demanding transparency in international arrangements. We businesses comply with regulations and use transfer pricing as a strategic planning tool.
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Audit methodology
Our five step audit methodology offers a high quality service wherever you are in the world and includes planning, risk assessment, testing internal controls, substantive testing, and concluding and reporting
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Audit technology
We apply our audit methodology with an integrated set of software tools known as the Voyager suite. Our technology has been developed to produce quality audits that are effective and efficient.
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Financial reporting advisory
Our financial reporting advisers have the expertise to help you deal with the constantly evolving regulatory environment.
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Business architecture
Our business architects help businesses with disruptive conditions, business expansion and competitive challenges; the deployment of your strategy is critical to success.
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Cloud services
Leverage the cloud to keep your data safe, operate more efficiently, reduce costs and create a better experience for your employees and clients.
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Internal audit
Our internal audits deliver independent assurance over key controls within your riskiest processes, proving what works and what doesn’t and recommending improvements.
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IT advisory
Our hands on product experience, extensive functional knowledge and industry insights help clients solve complex IT and technology issues
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IT privacy and security
IT privacy and security should support your business strategy. Our pragmatic approach focuses on reducing cyber security risks specific to your organisation
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Payroll assurance
Our specialist payroll assurance team can conduct a review of your payroll system configuration and processes, and then help you and your team to implement any necessary recalculations.
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PCI DSS
Our information security specialists are approved Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) that have been qualified by the PCI Security Standards Council to independently assess merchants and service providers.
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Process improvement
As your organisation grows in size and complexity, processes that were once enabling often become cumbersome and inefficient. To maintain growth, your business must remain flexible, agile and profitable
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Procurement/supply chain
Procurement and supply chain inputs will often dominate your balance sheet and constantly evolve for organisations to remain competitive and meet changing customer requirements
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Project assurance
Major programmes and projects expose you to significant financial and reputational risk throughout their life cycle. Don’t let these risks become a reality.
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Risk management
We understand that growing companies need to establish robust internal controls, and use information technology to effectively mitigate risk.
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Robotic process automation (RPA)
RPA is emerging as the most sophisticated form of automation used to help businesses become more agile and remain competitive in the face of today’s ongoing digital disruption.
It’s time to close the productivity gap
Why, in the last 40 years, has New Zealand’s GDP per capita slipped from being 20% above the OECD average to now being approximately 30% below?
There are many contributing factors, but one of the key reasons is that as a country we are just not productive enough.
It’s part of our boat, bach, BMW culture, where we like to ‘work at play and play at work’. We lack the business edge and drive that is evident in other countries.
The Government is well aware of this, and as far back as the 2012 Budget one of its four main priorities is creating a more productive and competitive economy. While this is a positive step forward, the slide continues. More action is needed.
Many SME owners are ambitious, entrepreneurial, hardworking and smart, but as a culture, as a nation, those attributes apply less here than they do in other OECD countries, despite individual exceptions.
For every business where these skills are in abundance, there are others where owners have little or no skills. They prefer to work in the business and not on the business. The large number of companies that have gone bust in the construction sector as part of the Canterbury rebuild is stark evidence of a lack of business skills.
It seems strange that agriculturally we are one of the most productive countries in the world, but this is not apparent in the businesses that make up the towns and cities of the nation.
Skills and training must be a key focus of the Budget to help us fight our way up the OECD ladder.
An immediate target for the Budget could be to tackle market failures by increasing investment in Government programmes for SMEs. To create the best growth environment for businesses to thrive, we need to understand the characteristics of our small and medium sized businesses, what determines their success, what holds them back and how they work; and take effective, targeted action.
Take for example the UK Government’s business growth services. Like New Zealand, the UK also has an ambitious business growth agenda and they have been addressing a number of market failures related to the uptake of business support. The UK Government is targeting support for businesses which are more likely to deliver additional economic growth and targeting areas that will have the greatest impact, as opposed to a shotgun approach, scattering small programmes over a large number of businesses. The UK’s business growth strategies have assisted thousands of businesses, helped them create tens of thousands of jobs and delivered a high and measureable return on public investment.
Apart from agriculture, where we are amongst world leaders in efficiency and productivity, New Zealand is slowly slipping down the productivity ladder. The Government can help with changes in the Budget, but there also needs to be dramatic psychological shift amongst business owners.
It’s okay to give advice and receive feedback. It’s fine to seek help from experts. Rather than driving down production costs, time spent looking to add value is more important. The world does not stand still; you have to continually upskill to keep pace.
We need rapid and decisive action to deliver on New Zealand’s economic ambitions and to steer the economy on a path to strong and sustainable growth. Budget 2015 is a good starting point.
Further enquiries, please contact:
Paul Kane
Partner, Privately Held Business
Grant Thornton New Zealand
T +64 (0)9 308 2576
E paul.kane@nz.gt.com