The firm has been associated with Maori Businesses since it was first founded in the 1960’s and has a proud history of working with Maori Businesses.
Ashton Wheelans assisted Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu (TRoNT) with its crown settlement, and there after has been involved with Maori entities as a major proportion of the firms work. We represent land owning Trusts, Incorporations and related Maori Business organisations, across a variety of industries. The firm represents more than 100 Maori owned or related enterprises.
We have traditionally had strong bonds with Maori business leaders and contacts throughout Maori-dom. These perhaps were strongest when Sid Ashton was a partner in our firm, and later became the CEO of TRoNT. We are now reforming these bonds, and Marks role as Independent Chairman of TRoNT Audit & Risk Committee gives considerable insight to the current issues facing Maori business and Iwi. At the same time, we are aware of the grass root issues that many Maori face and we see the picture all too clearly in the work we do on succession processing, distribution’s and AGM attendances
Ashton Wheelans currently provide the following services to Maori:
- Annual financial statement preparation, including providing analysis, explanation of the results, trend statements and benchmarking
- Taxation services, including recording Maori Authority Credit Accounts (MACA's) and understanding the effects on dividend distributions to Iwi
- Assurance services, including review engagements, internal and external audit work
- Secretarial roles for Maori Incorporations
- Owner database management, including the processing of successions from the Maori Land Courts on the Incorporations or trusts behalf, managing dividend payouts and sundry mailouts
- An independent party to receive, verify and count voting papers for elections or AGM nominations
- Consultancy advice, including business mentoring, business planning and governance guidelines for trustee's and committee's
For information on upcoming Maori Authority Tax changes click here.
