Licensing of accountants in New Zealand

In order to work as an accountant (General Accounting) in New Zealand, as a minimum, you need to confirm your diploma locally and receive training in local taxation, commercial law, etc.

If you want to work as a Chartered Accountant, you will also need one of the local certifications: NZICA (CAANZ) or CPA Australia. In practice, such specialists are much more in demand. Without this status, finding a job as an accountant is also possible, but much more difficult.

Chartered Accountant is one of the highest professional accounting and financial qualifications in the world. The term Chartered is an internationally recognized professional designation that reflects the highest standards of ethical, professional and technical expertise of the accountant. The process of certification of Chartered Account is quite long and you need to be ready to devote to it for several years. It includes:

1. The confirmation of a diploma of higher education, as well as the study of those disciplines that you have not studied before and which are required in New Zealand
2. Experience 3 years under the guidance of a certified accountant
3. Training with one of the certifying organizations and taking exams

Training programs for accountants

Even having a higher degree in accounting but not a New Zealand based education, you will need to undergo training in those subjects that are required for certification. To do this, you can attend a one-year program that will fully prepare you for the process of obtaining a Chartered Accountant certificate. Here is a list of programs that are approved by NZICA (CAANZ) and CPA Australia:

• Unitec, Graduate Diploma in Professional Accountancy
  NZ$ 21 500
• NMIT, Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting
  NZ$ 18 900
• MIT, Graduate Diploma In Professional Accounting
  NZ$ 21 000
• EIT, Graduate Diploma In Professional Accounting
  NZ$ 19 900

At the end of these programs, you will receive a work visa for a year and will be prepared for the second stage of certification – gaining experience under the guidance of a certified accountant.

If you have higher education in business or commerce, and you want to acquire skills and knowledge in accounting, but do not seek to further certify NZICA or CPA, obtain the Chartered Accountant level, or look forward to an independent study of the material necessary for this. You can also consider the training options with the following programs:

Level 7 programs

Average costs: NZ$ 18 900 – NZ$ 22 000

• NMIT, Graduate Diploma in Accounting
• WITT, Graduate Diploma in Accounting
• Wintec, Graduate Diploma in Accounting
• ARA, Graduate Diploma in Accounting
• SIT, Graduate Diploma in Accounting
• Aspire 2 International, Diploma in Accounting
• Otago Polytechnic, Graduate Diploma in Accounting

Level 8 programs

Average costs: NZ$ 28 900 до NZ$ 33 400

• AUT, Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Accounting
• Massey University, Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy
• University of Otago, Postgraduate Diploma in Commerce in Accounting

Moving to New Zealand with a family

For the period of study at the 7th level programs, the student has the right to work part-time and can bring family, but the student’s partner will be able to receive only the visitor’s visa, and the children of school age will have to study. Costs of 1 year an New Zealand school around NZ$ 12 000 per year.

If you want your partner to have a work visa and for your children to study in schools for free, then you need to consider the option of studying at Masters Degree Level 9. This program is designed only for those who already have education and experience in accounting. Such options are only available in universities:

Level 9 programs

Average costs: NZ$ 34 000 до NZ$ 73 000

• Unitec, Master of Applied Practice (Professional Accounting)
• Massey University, Master of Professional Accountancy and Finance
• AUT, Master of Business, Accounting Specialisation
• Lincoln University, Master of Professional Accounting (CPA)
• University of Otago, Master of Professional Accounting
• Victoria University, Master of Professional Accounting
• University of Canterbury, Master of Professional Accounting
• University of Auckland, Master of Professional Accounting

Where else can I work with accounting education?

Once again we want to emphasize that when employing accountants, employers often require the presence of NZICA (CAANZ) or CPA Australia certificate, as it guarantees the compliance of the applicant to all industry standards. Certified specialists also regularly attend training and improve their qualifications in taxation.

Nevertheless, you can seek work in different areas of the financial sector: an accountant, a financial analyst, a finance manager, and the like. And all this in various areas: from accounting firms to law firms, from advertising agencies to government departments and banks. Below is a list of qualified positions that can be attributed to your education, with the necessary combination of job responsibilities:

• 221111 Accountant (General)
• 221113 Taxation Accountant
• 132211 Finance Manager
• 222299 Financial Dealers
• 222311 Financial Investment Adviser
• 222312 Financial Investment Manager
• 222211 Financial Market Dealer
• 222112 Finance Broker
• 222199 Financial Brokers
• 149914 Financial Institution Branch Manager
• 224712 Organization and Methods Analyst
• 225112 Market Research Analyst
• 221112 Management Accountant
• 224711 Management Consultant

By occupation code, you can check the requirements for each speciality on the ANZSCO website

And on the Careers website, you can see information on salaries and employment prospects for each of the directions

For all questions of training for accountants, contact Kiwi Education.