Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
Name	Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
Type	Professional body
Founded	2014
Headquarters	Sydney, Wellington
Region served	Australia, New Zealand
Membership	Chartered accountants

Contents

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand is a professional body representing chartered accountants in Australia and New Zealand, formed by the merger of predecessor institutes. It engages with corporate entities such as Commonwealth Bank of Australia, ANZ Banking Group, Westpac, National Australia Bank and interacts with public institutions including the Reserve Bank of Australia, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the New Zealand Treasury. The organisation liaises with multinational firms like Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, Ernst & Young and works alongside universities such as the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington and Monash University.

History

The body was established in 2014 following discussions between the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants, continuing traditions traceable to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and the Royal Society of New Zealand. Its formation paralleled consolidations seen with organisations such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and echoed mergers like that of The Law Society of New South Wales with other legal bodies. Early history references interactions with regulators including the Australian Securities Exchange, the Financial Markets Authority (New Zealand), and legal frameworks such as the Corporations Act 2001 and the Financial Reporting Act 1993 (New Zealand). Prominent figures across the accounting profession—comparable to leaders from Sir John Kerr, Dame Silvia Cartwright and corporate chairs at Telstra Corporation and Air New Zealand—influenced governance debates during the merger era.

Governance draws on models used by bodies like the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and boards of major corporations such as Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Airbus SE for corporate oversight. The organisation operates regional offices akin to those of Accenture and IBM across cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Its council and board have included leaders with backgrounds in institutions such as ANZ Banking Group, Westpac, Qantas, BHP, Rio Tinto, Woolworths Group and advisory roles to agencies like the Australian Taxation Office, the Inland Revenue Department (New Zealand), and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority.

Membership pathways align with qualification frameworks seen at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, and academic programs from the University of Otago, University of Canterbury, University of Queensland and the University of New South Wales. Candidates undertake assessments and practical experience similar to trainees at Deloitte, PwC, KPMG and Ernst & Young, with recognition comparable to chartered statuses from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. Professional titles are maintained for practitioners in roles at companies like Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Air New Zealand, Spark New Zealand, Mercury NZ and advisory positions with World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank.

Members provide audit, assurance and advisory services to corporations such as Telstra, Scentre Group, Lendlease, Santos Limited and Woodside Petroleum, serve as chief financial officers at organisations like Qantas and New Zealand Post, act as forensic accountants in investigations involving entities like ASIC and the Serious Fraud Office (New Zealand), and advise boards of trustees such as those at the Australian National University and the University of Auckland. They work across sectors including with infrastructure firms like Transurban, energy companies like Origin Energy, and non-profits comparable to New Zealand Red Cross and St Vincent de Paul Society.

The body adopts standards in concert with the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, International Federation of Accountants, Australian Accounting Standards Board, and the External Reporting Board (New Zealand), and aligns conduct codes with regulators including ASIC, APRA and the Financial Markets Authority (New Zealand). Ethical frameworks reference precedents set by tribunals such as the High Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of New Zealand in professional conduct cases, and engage with legislation including the Corporations Act 2001 and reporting regimes of the Australian Stock Exchange and the New Zealand Stock Exchange.