DIRECTOR
Whakatane Office | 07 308 5453 | jason@lal.co.nz | LinkedIn
Born and raised in Whakatane, I am a chartered accountant who completed my post graduate studies while working as a tax consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers where I quickly realised my passion was helping small and medium sized businesses. The specialities I bring to Legacy are taxation and effective tax structuring, trust setup and intergenerational planning, Inland Revenue audits and tax disputes and business development. I work closely with the other directors to combine our skill sets to achieve the best outcome for our clients. Additionally I am on the NZICA Bay of Plenty Local Leadership Team and a Business Mentor with Business Mentors New Zealand.
I often get asked ‘why am I different to other chartered accountants?’ I think the answer is quite simple. My passion is making myself available to clients. This down to earth attitude gives me the ability to help my clients every day and build long-term relationships that others in my industry struggle with.
At Legacy we do all the annual compliance that everyone else does but I feel we do so much more. I often get told by new clients coming on board ‘the only time I heard from my previous accountant was once a year to get my records and to talk to the owner of the firm was near impossible’. I love what I do – because I get to see my clients regularly and see what is working for them and what is not. I am often seen to be working as a business partner instead of the accountant. Working closely with the clients through their highs and lows means that I am able to share my knowledge and skill set to help them.
Outside of work I enjoy spending time with friends and family. I love the time spent with my wife Victoria and our two sons Will and Ralph and you will often see us out walking or running our two young dogs. I have a love of cooking which comes from my background in a former life as a baker and I often enjoy quiet Friday night BBQ’s.