Accountant CV Example (New Zealand)

An accountant's CV in New Zealand is read by a finance manager or a partner who reconciles for a living, so it has to be exact. They look for the CA designation and whether you have finished the CA Program, the systems you run (Xero above all), the close or the client base you own, and proof that your GST returns, PAYE filings and year-end accounts are right first time.

The Sample CV below belongs to a Chartered Accountant with six years across public practice in the Hutt Valley and a commercial role at a Wellington freight company. Each bullet names a process, such as the month-end close, the 31 March year end, GST and provisional tax or the annual audit, and says what changed because of the work: days cut from the close, a clean audit, an IRD review closed without adjustment.

Tailor the summary and the top bullets to each vacancy. A business services role at a firm wants client numbers and compliance deadlines met; a commercial role wants ownership of a ledger and the management accounts; a listed company wants NZ IFRS and consolidation. The US counterpart of this page is the accountant resume example, written for American employers on Letter paper and US GAAP, and the Chronological template keeps the work history in the order a partner reads it.

Updated . The person and employers in this Sample CV are fictional. Written for applicants in New Zealand; the page for applicants in the US is the accountant resume example.

Accountant sample CV

Drawn at A4 proportions, the paper a New Zealand CV is printed on.

Caitlin Teague

Financial Accountant, CA

Karori, Wellingtoncaitlin.teague@example.com027 555 0162

Summary

Chartered Accountant with six years across public practice and commercial accounting, currently owning the general ledger and month-end close for a freight company with three entities and a 31 March year end. Cut the close from nine working days to five by rebuilding the reconciliation calendar in Xero and automating the intercompany journals. Known for clean audit files, GST returns filed without query and variances explained to depot managers in plain language.

Experience

Financial Accountant, Cook Strait Logistics Ltd

– Present

Wellington

  • Own the month-end close for three entities and 240 balance sheet accounts in Xero; cut the close from nine working days to five within the first year.
  • Prepare the two-monthly GST returns, PAYE and FBT filings and the provisional tax estimates for all three entities; nothing filed late or amended in three years.
  • Prepared the fixed asset, lease and intercompany schedules for the annual audit under NZ IFRS; the audit closed with no proposed adjustments two years running.
  • Explain monthly variances over NZ$20,000 to the four depot managers and the chief financial officer, turning the budget review into a short list of decisions.
Senior Accountant, Business Services, Bramwell & Teo Chartered Accountants

–

Lower Hutt

  • Prepared annual financial statements and income tax returns for a portfolio of 60 clients, from sole traders and trusts to companies with turnover up to NZ$25 million.
  • Ran the GST and payroll compliance cycle for 35 clients on Xero and MYOB, and moved 20 of them from desktop software to Xero with no missed filing.
  • Handled two IRD reviews for clients, both closed without adjustment, and trained two graduates on workpaper standards and the firm's review process.
  • Joined as a graduate, completed the CA Program in 2020 and was promoted to senior the same year.
Accounts Assistant (part time), Wairarapa Wool Exporters

–

Masterton

  • Processed supplier invoices and the weekly payment run for a wool exporter while completing the final year of the degree.
  • Reconciled the bank and the two-monthly GST return, clearing a backlog of 90 unmatched items.

Education

Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Taxation)

University of the Hutt Valley, Lower Hutt

Met the CA ANZ academic requirements for the CA Program.

Skills

  • Month-end close
  • General ledger and reconciliations
  • GST, PAYE and FBT
  • Provisional and terminal tax
  • NZ IFRS and PBE standards
  • Xero and Xero Practice Manager
  • MYOB
  • Excel (lookups, pivot tables, Power Query)
  • Audit preparation
  • Management accounts and variance analysis

Certifications

  • Chartered Accountant (CA), Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand,

Start yours from this example

Opens this sample in the editor, in one of the templates below. Swap in your details, then tailor it to each vacancy in about two minutes.

Use this example

How a New Zealand CV differs

An accountant's CV in New Zealand uses a different vocabulary from the American one. The designation is CA with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (or CPA with CPA Australia), not a state CPA licence; the tax authority is Inland Revenue, the filings are GST, PAYE and provisional tax, and the year end for most businesses is 31 March; the ledger is almost always Xero; and the reporting framework is NZ IFRS or the PBE standards under the External Reporting Board. Two pages on A4, with referees expected at the end, and the partner or finance manager usually reads it before the recruiter does.

For a accountant in New Zealand

  1. CA ANZ, not a state licence

    Write CA after your name if you hold it, or Provisional Member and the CA Program modules completed if you are part way through. CPA Australia is the other route; name whichever you are on and the year.

  2. IRD, GST and the 31 March year end

    Use the New Zealand terms: Inland Revenue, GST returns (monthly, two-monthly or six-monthly), PAYE and payday filing, FBT, provisional and terminal tax, and the 31 March balance date. They are what a recruiter's keyword match looks for.

  3. Xero first

    Xero was built in Wellington and runs most New Zealand businesses, so name it, Xero Practice Manager and any add-ons you use. MYOB, Reckon and SAP belong on the page too where you have used them.

  4. NZ IFRS and the PBE standards

    Say which tier you report under and whether you prepare statements for a for-profit entity or a public benefit entity. Charities, councils and health providers hire on the PBE standards specifically.

  5. Referees at the end

    Name two referees, usually your current finance manager or partner and a previous one, or write that they are available on request. Firms in New Zealand call them before an offer.

Every CV in New Zealand

A4 paper
New Zealand prints on A4. Set the page size before you export; a Letter-sized PDF is the usual sign of a US template.
Two pages is normal
Two pages is the norm. One page for a first job; a third page only for a long senior career.
No photo
No photo, date of birth or marital status. New Zealand employers do not expect them and most prefer the CV without them.
Dates as DD/MM/YYYY
Day first where a full date appears, and month and year for each role. Never the US month-first order.
New Zealand English
New Zealand English follows British spelling: organise, programme, centre, licence, specialise.
Suburb and city, not a street address
"Mount Eden, Auckland" is enough on the contact line. A full street address is not expected.

More on applying in New Zealand, with every CV example for it, on the New Zealand page.

Templates for the accountant CV

All templates

Every template exports on A4. The previews are drawn on Letter; the editor sets the page size when you export.

How the CV changes with experience

The same accountant CV, written at three levels: a profile and three bullets for each.

Entry level

Zero to two years, or a first post in the title

Accounting graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce and a summer internship at a mid-tier firm, starting the CA Program this year. Comfortable with reconciliations, GST returns and Excel, and keen to own part of a close or a client portfolio.

  • Reconciled bank and payroll clearing accounts each month during the internship and cleared items older than ninety days.
  • Prepared the two-monthly GST return for twelve small clients under a senior's review with no corrections on filing.
  • Built a pivot-table summary of travel spend that the firm's practice manager still uses.

Mid level

Three to seven years, owns a process or a workload

Chartered Accountant with five years in business services, managing a portfolio of 70 clients through year end and delivering the financial statements before the firm's deadline.

  • Own a portfolio of 70 clients with a combined turnover of NZ$60 million, from year-end accounts to tax returns.
  • Moved the portfolio's payroll onto a single payday filing routine, removing a recurring source of IRD penalties.
  • Review the work of two graduates and sign off their workpapers before the partner sees them.

Senior

Eight years or more, leads people, budgets or programmes

Finance Manager and CA with eleven years of experience leading close, consolidation and audit for a group with NZ$120 million in revenue, and a record of building teams that close faster without losing accuracy.

  • Lead a team of four through a five-day close across six entities and two currencies.
  • Directed the move from MYOB to Xero for the group ledger, mapping 700 accounts and running a parallel close for two months without a restatement.
  • Serve as the auditors' first contact and cut fieldwork from five weeks to three by delivering the full request list up front.

Skills to put on the accountant CV

Hard skills

Month-end close
Nearly every commercial accountant vacancy asks who owns the close and how fast it runs, so name the entities, the account count and the day you finish.
GST, PAYE and provisional tax
Compliance filing is the daily work of a New Zealand accountant, and a record of returns filed on time and without query is read as proof of care.
NZ IFRS and the PBE standards
The External Reporting Board sets the tiers, and naming the standard you report under shows you have applied it rather than read about it.
Xero, Xero Practice Manager and MYOB
Adverts name the platform, and the keyword match on Xero is the first thing a recruiter's screen looks for.
Advanced Excel
Lookups, pivot tables and Power Query are how accountants build schedules quickly, and many interviews include a live test.
Audit preparation
A clean audit saves fees and weeks of distraction, which makes it one of the most persuasive results on the page.
Variance analysis
Explaining why a number moved is what turns an accountant into someone the operations managers call.

Soft skills

Accuracy, shown not claimed
Say audits closed with no adjustments and returns filed without query, rather than listing attention to detail as a trait.
Plain English with non-finance colleagues
Accountants who can explain a variance to a depot manager get pulled into decisions and promoted sooner.
Deadline discipline
GST, payday filing and the 31 March year end run on a calendar, and a record of meeting it proves you can carry more of it.

Mistakes that cost accountant interviews

  1. Duties instead of results

    Prepared GST returns describes the job. Say how many entities or clients, how often, and what improved: a shorter close, a review closed without adjustment, a client moved to Xero with nothing missed.

  2. Hiding where you are with the CA

    Whether you hold the CA, are a provisional member or have not started is one of the first things a partner checks. Put it in the headline and in the qualifications section with the year or the expected date.

  3. No systems named

    If the CV says accounting software and nothing else, a recruiter's screen has nothing to match. Write Xero, MYOB or SAP exactly as the advert spells them.

  4. American terms for New Zealand work

    US GAAP, the IRS, sales tax, a calendar year end and the title Staff Accountant tell a reader the page came from a US template. Use NZ IFRS, Inland Revenue, GST, 31 March and the title in the advert.

  5. One CV for practice and commercial roles

    A business services accountant and a financial accountant are hired on different evidence. Lead with clients and compliance for a firm, and with the close, the audit and the management accounts for a commercial role.

Questions about the accountant CV

How long should an accountant's CV be in New Zealand?

Two pages. The designation, the systems and the most recent close or client portfolio belong on the first page; a graduate often fits one.

Where does the CA go on a CV?

After your name in the headline, such as Caitlin Teague, CA, and again in a qualifications section with the year. If you are part way through, write Provisional Member, CA ANZ, and list the modules passed.

What skills do New Zealand employers look for in an accountant?

A month-end close or a client portfolio you own, GST and payroll compliance, NZ IFRS or PBE reporting, Xero and strong Excel. Beyond those, firms and companies value accountants who explain numbers plainly and keep audits clean.

How do I write accountant bullets without big numbers?

Use the scale of the work and what it changed. Count entities, clients, accounts or returns, and describe the outcome: a faster close, a review closed cleanly, a filing routine others adopted.

Do I need a different CV for public practice and a commercial role?

Yes. A firm wants client numbers, industries and compliance deadlines met; a company wants ownership of a ledger, the audit and the management accounts. Rewrite the summary and reorder the bullets for whichever side the advert is on.

How do I tailor my CV to a specific accounting vacancy?

Mirror the systems, the standards and the filings the advert names, move the closest role to the top and rewrite the summary for that employer. Paste the advert into Resume Master and it rewrites the CV against it in about two minutes.

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