Gilligan Sheppard: problem-solvers for businesses

At its foundation, Gilligan Sheppard is a tax and accounting firm, but at its heart, it’s about helping our clients. Over the last nearly 40 years, we have grown to include consulting and transaction services, including trusts, land and property, international tax, investments, and business improvement.

We believe a courageous and authentic attitude is essential to disrupting the status quo and creating a better future for New Zealand businesses. We promise to approach every problem-solving opportunity with an innovative and collaborative mindset, working closely with our clients to develop solutions that meet their unique needs.

We go beyond relentless form-filling and compliance, finding creative ways to solve your problems and help grow your business and wealth. If you want to learn more about our culture, click to read more…

Smith & Caughey Building, Queen Street, Gilligan Sheppard Offices
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Having Bill join the Canon team was a huge win right from the outset. The value Bill delivered consistently in providing leadership and guidance to his team, insight into internal and external marketing, branding and culture set a new cohesive direction for Canon. Bill has very strong family and collaborative values which are invaluable to team work; he has a genuine interest in people. With a focussed and positive attitude, great things happen. Bill’s mix of experience and skills from both an FMCG channel background and B2B with TelstraClear and now Canon are very beneficial, yet quite unusual to find, but his biggest strength is leading a team – to work together, enjoying what they do and who they do it with everyday, regardless of the pressure or tediousness of the tasks.
Mike Johnston
Canon NZ Limited
It’s been awesome to work with Bill. His coaching enabled me to understand how I could become more effective by applying new ways of working. He is a great listener and tenacious in keeping me on track. I’m inspired by his passion for high performance and value the pragmatic wisdom of his experience. Bill creates a trusted relationship easily because his genuine care is obvious. He has a gift for focusing on what matters – purpose, performance and people.
Leanne Gibson
Manurewa High School Business Academy
Bill is professional skilled sales and marketing executive that has the ability to quickly build trustworthy business relationships. He has the ability to keep relationship strong during testing times. I would describe Bill as a person that has a natural affinity with people, he has a entrepreneurial spirit and able to build respect with his peers and lasting relationships with his customers.
Patrick Carson
Telstraclear
Gilligan Sheppard have been on call for anything from data entry questions in the annual checklist through to providing advice on our company structure. The checklist system is extremely user friendly and the staff are very patient with us if we do have any queries.
Stephen Davies
Leaders in interior fit-outs, Practec Management
I’ve been dealing with Gilligan Sheppard since the 1980s. Their advice has been invaluable, especially in relation to transactions and deals, tax questions, running trusts and our internal accounting. I’m eternally grateful to them for valuable advice at key moments over many years. They always understood my various businesses, they’re always helpful and they’re great to deal with.
Robert Turner
Online directories and marketing, Turner Media
Building a business in a mature market against $100M+ competitors is no picnic, but at least we have the support of an accounting company where one of the partners wears a bike outfit to work and funny hats at public company AGM’s. We will never take the journey too seriously!
Stefan Preston
Comfortable and affordable women’s underwear, Rose & Thorne
Gilligan Sheppard was right with us from the start and they have been with us through thick and thin as we expanded in many areas with their advice
Phil Clarke
Importers of Italian food and wine, A Touch of Italy
I am eternally grateful to Gilligan Sheppard for saving my business career, and we’ve had a great business relationship ever since. Over the years, they have continued to help me when I’ve needed clever thinking and seasoned experience to help me solve complex business issues.
Steve Ballantyne
Brand story agency, Story IQ
Other accountants I’ve known simply present you with the financial facts and data and off you go. Gilligan Sheppard gives me the facts and the data, but they also help me analyse it and understand the broader context and bigger story at play – which makes it far more useful and interesting.
Liam Forde
Leadership, culture and performance architects, The Zone
Gilligan Sheppard have really helped us to grow our company and our footprint around Auckland and Whangarei. They took the time to understand our business, our people, our model and our industry risks.
Jason Rogers
Land Acquisition & Funding, Generation Homes

Companies we have worked with

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Financial expertise to stop struggling and start scaling.
CFO 4 U is a division of Gilligan Sheppard.

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A division of Gilligan Sheppard – specialising in content marketing

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As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. xero logo It’s small business accounting software that’s simple, smart and occasionally magical. Log in online anytime, anywhere on your Mac, PC, tablet or phone to get a real-time view of your cash flow. 
As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. tax traders logo Tax Traders allows you to buy someone else’s tax to settle your account with Inland Revenue, as well as save on interest and late payment penalty charges.
As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. smart ar logo Astute cash flow management is essential for operating a small business.
As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. myob logo Trusted by 1.2 million businesses, myob is New Zealand’s largest accounting solutions provider. The platform is equipped to support the needs of New Zealand organisations.
As a client at Gilligan Sheppard you will access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business/trust/transaction.  accountancy insurance logo Tax Audit Insurance specifically designed for accountants in public practice. This provides cost effective protection and peace of mind against the substantial cost that may be incurred should IR or other government authorities conduct a random review, investigation or audit.
As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. cpa logo A CPA is a finance, accounting and business professional with a specific qualification. It indicates a soundness in depth, breadth and quality of accountancy knowledge and gives you competitive advantage over your peers.
As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. agn international logo AGN International is a worldwide asociation, composed of four regions, of independent accounting and advisory businesses.
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Tax Updates – 30th August
Directors’ fees & GST Inland Revenue has reissued its guidance on the GST treatment of directors’ fees and board members’ fees, replacing the three Public Rulings that have applied [...]
Tax Updates – 24th August
When an employee dies: what employers, executors and families need to know about tax The death of an employee is difficult enough for colleagues and family without the added complication of working [...]
Why traditional budgets fail Growth SME’s
Having spent years as a CFO in medium-sized companies before moving into fractional CFO work, I’ve now worked with over 100 growing businesses. And here’s something that took me a while to accept [...]
The DNA of Extraordinary Organisations
Last week, I suggested something: Extraordinary organisations don’t happen by accident. They are intentionally built. That naturally led me to another question. If extraordinary organisations are [...]
Knowing when to hand over the keys
This is part of a three-part series on Succession — covering family, boards, and CEOs — and while each part stands on its own, they’re best read in order. The founder who came back — and the [...]
Tax Updates – 17th August
Horticultural sector non-compliance on IR’s radar Inland Revenue has issued Revenue Alert RA 26/02, signalling a significant escalation in its compliance focus on the horticultural sector. The [...]
Tax Updates – 10th August
Court Awarded Costs & GST IR has released Interpretation Statement IS 26/11, setting out when court-awarded costs and disbursements — and equivalent out-of-court settlement payments — attract [...]
Tax Updates – 3rd August
Can you have a Bare Trust when property is mortgaged The Revenue has released a new  Question We’ve Been Asked (QWBA), addressing a question that arises frequently in family and cross-border [...]
Tax Updates 27 July
Getting a cashback payment from the Bank – Taxable or not? I’m a little surprised it has taken this long however finally IR has released a draft Question We’ve Been Asked (QWBA), reference [...]
A game of ping pong with the IRD and the Bank
It’s Income Tax filing time, and many are now completing their returns for the year. As a client, you will see the finished product: a return, filed on time, numbers reconciled, nothing left out [...]

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Richard Ashby (our tax specialist) provides advice, comments and updates on what’s been happening in the world of tax each week.

Business
Tax Updates – 30th AugustSenaara Sonu
Business
Directors’ fees & GST Inland Revenue has reissued its guidance on the GST treatment of directors’ fees and board members’ fees, replacing the three Public Rulings that have applied since 2023. BR Pub 26/01, 26/02 and 26/03, together with an accompanying Commentary, take effect from 7 August 2026 and set out when a director or […]
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Business
Tax Updates – 24th AugustRichard Ashby
Business
When an employee dies: what employers, executors and families need to know about tax The death of an employee is difficult enough for colleagues and family without the added complication of working out the tax treatment of any payments that follow. On 17 August 2026, Inland Revenue released Interpretation Statement IS 26/13, Income tax – […]
READ IT