We’ve been sitting on this secret for what feels like forever (its been 2 days)
And we are so excited that we can finally share it.
Every year, the NZQBA Bookkeeping Awards give us the chance to shine a spotlight on the incredible people and businesses that make up our profession. But this year felt different.
We received a huge number of entries this year and not only was the quantity amazing, but the quality absolutely blew us away.
Every submission told a story. Stories of businesses that have grown through challenging times. Stories of Bookkeepers becoming trusted advisers. Stories of innovation, resilience, leadership and genuine care for clients.
As we prepared the entries for judging, we found ourselves smiling more than once. We often say we’re lucky to be the support crew for New Zealand’s Bookkeepers, and seeing all these entries reminded us exactly why we do what we do.
The bookkeeping profession is in incredibly good hands.
A huge thank you to everyone who entered
Before we announce the finalists, we simply want to say thank you.
Putting yourself forward for an award is not easy.
It takes time to reflect on your journey, gather your achievements and share your story. That takes courage, and we genuinely appreciate every single person who entered.
Whether you have been in business for decades or only a few years, whether you are a sole practitioner or leading a growing team, your contribution to our profession matters.
We are so incredibly proud to represent a community that is continually raising the bar.
Watch the live finalist announcement
The numbers tell a story
One of the things we love about these awards is that they are independently judged against a structured scoring framework covering areas such as technical excellence, client impact, innovation, leadership, business growth and contribution to the profession.
This year, the results told two interesting stories.
In the Bookkeeping Business of the Year category, just 0.025 points* separated the top two businesses after the judges’ weighted scores were combined. That’s an incredibly close result and speaks to the exceptional standard of entries we received.
(*don’t worry, we checked, checked again, and then checked a few more times to confirm!)
In the Bookkeeper of the Year category, the calibre of the entries made it impossible to narrow the field to just three finalists with the scoring being almost as close as the business award. We simply couldn’t let one outstanding Bookkeeper miss out on the recognition they deserved, so this year we’re celebrating four finalists.
Bookkeeping Business of the Year Finalists
Congratulations to:
Each of these businesses impressed the judges in different ways.
Across the judging comments were themes of sustainable growth, outstanding client service, embracing technology, investing in people and building resilient businesses with strong futures. The judges recognised businesses with personality, impressive growth, and the willingness to share both successes and the lessons learned along the way. Comments included “a business to watch”, praise for impressive payroll and team growth, and recognition of a powerful comeback story.
Bookkeeper of the Year Finalists
Congratulations to:
This category showcased exactly what makes Bookkeepers so valuable to the businesses they support.
The judges highlighted technical expertise, exceptional client care, continuous professional development, leadership and a commitment to embracing new technology. They recognised Bookkeepers who consistently go above and beyond, not only for their clients, but for the profession as a whole. Comments praised exceptional professionalism, proactive leadership, continuous improvement and early adoption of new technology.
We couldn’t be prouder
One of our goals at NZQBA has always been to champion the bookkeeping profession.
Reading these entries reminded us just how much there is to celebrate.
Behind every finalist is a business owner who has taken a chance, solved problems, supported clients through difficult times, embraced change and continued learning.
Behind every entry is someone quietly making a difference to New Zealand businesses every single day.
And that’s worth celebrating.
So, from us here at NZQBA … Congratulations!
Whether your name appears on the finalist list or not, thank you for being part of this profession and for helping raise the standard of bookkeeping in New Zealand.
We are incredibly proud to be your support crew.
The countdown is on …
The winners of the 2026 NZQBA Bookkeeping Awards will be announced live at the NZQBA Conference on 14 August.
We can’t wait to celebrate with our finalists, our members, our partners and our wider bookkeeping community.
Good luck to all of our finalists. We’ll see you at conference!
P.S. If you know one of our finalists, send them a message, leave them a comment or give them a call. Being recognised by your peers is something pretty special, and we’d love to see our bookkeeping community celebrating each other over the next couple of weeks.
