What Polson Higgs does

Polson Higgs is a privately held chartered accountancy and business advisory firm founded in 1997 in Dunedin, New Zealand, operating under a partnership structure with 101–250 employees across nine practice areas: Accounting, Business Advisory, Business Systems Solutions, Human Resources, IT Solutions, Payroll Solutions, Rural Specialists, Taxation, and Training, plus a wealth management sub-brand (PH Wealth Management). The firm serves small-to-medium businesses, the rural/agricultural sector, individuals and corporates, and charitable organisations across Dunedin City and the wider Otago and Southland communities, offering services spanning compliance (tax, GST, PAYE, KiwiSaver), strategic advisory, succession planning, payroll outsourcing, IT consulting (including Office 365 migration), and a structured training/education product. Its technology stack is professional-services standard — Microsoft Office 365, Citrix GoToWebinar for webinar delivery, Figured and Farm Focus for farm accounting, and MoneyWorks Gold — with no proprietary software product. Revenue is generated primarily through professional-services fees (accounting, tax, advisory, payroll, IT) supplemented by training revenue across multiple pricing models (monthly subscriptions for Tax Update Webinars, pay-as-you-go for Tech Savvy and Special Edition webinars and public courses, freemium discounts via the Loyalty Programme, and unit-priced DVD recordings). The firm's go-to-market is sales-led, anchored in direct client relationships, a tax blog and email newsletter, a webinar series used as both revenue and lead generation, and a Community Partners Programme committing up to NZ$50,000 of professional time annually to charitable organisations. Membership in the Leading Edge Alliance provides international tax reach, and a partnership with NZ Young Farmers underpins the rural sector branding strategy. No AI capabilities, patents, funding events, or M&A activity are associated with the firm.

Name

Polson Higgs

Legal name

Polson Higgs

Website

http://www.ph.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Polson Higgs is a privately held Dunedin-based chartered accountancy and business advisory firm, founded in 1997, serving SMBs, rural/agricultural businesses, individuals, corporates, and community organisations across New Zealand's Otago and Southland regions with integrated tax, accounting, advisory, payroll, IT, training, and wealth management services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounting & Business Advisory Services

NAICS

Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (5412), Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & ESG / Carbon & Conservation Program Advisory (AFACAJAF)

Keywords

• Accounting services
• Tax advisory
• Business advisory
• Payroll management
• Wealth management

Headquarters

HQ city

Dunedin

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Accounting Services: Full range of accounting services including preparation of financial statements, tax compliance, and day-to-day accounting support for businesses and individuals.
2. Business Advisory: Strategic business advisory services including planning, governance assistance, and organisational review.
3. Taxation Services: Tax planning, compliance, IRD audits, GST advice, international tax, trusts and estates, due diligence for acquisitions.
4. Payroll Solutions: Outsourced payroll management service handling wages, PAYE, KiwiSaver, and compliance for businesses.
5. IT Solutions: IT advisory and support services including managed services, Office 365 migration, and technology consulting.
6. Training Services: Professional training including Tax Update Webinars, Tech Savvy Webinars, Special Edition Webinars, public courses, in-house training, and recordings. Revenue from course fees, webinar registrations, and DVD purchases.
7. Loyalty Programme: Free membership programme offering discounted rates on training, driving recurring training revenue from member organisations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Polson Higgs is a chartered accountancy and business advisory partnership that provides an integrated range of professional services, including accounting, taxation, business advisory, payroll, IT solutions, business systems, human resources, rural specialist advisory, and wealth management. It also runs a professional training programme of webinars, public courses, in-house training, and recordings, together with a free Loyalty Programme, serving businesses, rural clients, individuals, corporates, and not-for-profits primarily in Dunedin and the Otago/Southland region.

Product overview

Polson Higgs is an accounting and business advisory firm offering professional services, not a software product company. The firm provides a comprehensive range of advisory services organized into distinct practice areas: Accounting, Business Advisory, Business Systems Solutions, Human Resources, IT Solutions, Payroll Solutions, Rural Specialists, Taxation, and Training. These are service offerings rather than software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PH Wealth Management: Wealth management services offered through phwealth.co.nz

Products and services

• Accounting Full range of accounting services including preparation of financial statements, tax compliance, and day-to-day accounting support for businesses and individuals in the Otago and Southland region.
• Business Advisory Strategic business advisory services including business planning, governance assistance, and organisational review for local businesses.
• Taxation Services Tax planning, compliance, IRD audits, GST advice, international tax, trusts and estates, and due diligence for acquisitions, with international tax query management via the Leading Edge Alliance network.
• Payroll Solutions Outsourced payroll management service handling wages, PAYE, KiwiSaver, and compliance for businesses.
• IT Solutions IT advisory and support services including managed services, Office 365 cloud migration, and technology consulting for clients.
• Business Systems Solutions Business systems advisory and implementation support enabling clients to deploy accounting, productivity, and reporting platforms.
• Human Resources Human resources advisory including HR policies, workforce compliance, and people-management guidance for client organisations.
• Rural Specialists Specialist rural advisory covering farm budgeting, cashflow management, ownership structures, financial statements, tax planning, and succession planning for farming families, with certified expertise in Figured and Farm Focus.
• Wealth Management (PH Wealth Management) Wealth management services delivered through the dedicated PH Wealth Management sub-brand for individual clients.
• Training Services Professional training programme combining Tax Update Webinars, Tech Savvy Webinars, Special Edition Webinars, nationwide public courses, bespoke in-house training, and on-demand webinar recordings, delivered via Citrix GoToWebinar and face-to-face formats.
• Loyalty Programme Free loyalty membership programme that delivers discounted rates on all Polson Higgs training offerings (courses and webinars), driving recurring training revenue from member organisations.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NZ Young FarmerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NZ Young Farmers for the Polson Higgs Innovation Competition, celebrating innovation and creativity of young people in the rural community. The competition aims to motivate and inspire the next generation of farmers and agricultural professionals.
• Leading Edge AlliancecoreTechnology or IntegrationPart of the Leading Edge Alliance, the second largest international professional accounting organisation. This membership enables access to the right people in the right place to assist clients with international tax obligations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BDO New Zealand: BDO New Zealand is a mid-tier international accounting and advisory network serving SMEs and mid-market clients across New Zealand. It is directly comparable to Polson Higgs in target market (businesses and rural clients), service breadth (accounting, tax, advisory), and delivery model, but operates at national scale.
• RSM New Zealand: RSM New Zealand is a mid-tier accounting and consulting firm focused on SMEs and owner-managed businesses. It competes directly with Polson Higgs for the same mid-market accounting, tax, and business advisory engagements in New Zealand.
• Baker Tilly Staples Rodway: Baker Tilly Staples Rodway is a New Zealand chartered accountancy and advisory firm with multiple regional offices. It mirrors Polson Higgs' integrated accounting, tax, and advisory model for SME and rural clients across New Zealand regions.
• Crowe New Zealand: Crowe New Zealand (part of the global Crowe Global network) provides accounting, tax, and advisory services to mid-market and SME clients. It is comparable to Polson Higgs in service mix and target customer profile, with the additional benefit of international network reach.
• Grant Thornton New Zealand: Grant Thornton New Zealand is a mid-tier international accounting and advisory network serving mid-market businesses. It competes with Polson Higgs for SME advisory, tax, and business services work in New Zealand and shares a similar service breadth.
• Nexia New Zealand: Nexia New Zealand is part of the Nexia International mid-tier accounting network, providing audit, tax, and advisory services to SMEs and owner-managed businesses. It is comparable to Polson Higgs in both target market and the way international network membership supports cross-border work.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte New Zealand: Deloitte New Zealand is one of the Big-4 professional services firms offering audit, tax, consulting, and advisory at national scale. While not a direct mid-market competitor like Polson Higgs, it overlaps on tax and advisory services and represents the upper-bound incumbent in the same industry.
• KPMG New Zealand: KPMG New Zealand is a Big-4 firm providing audit, tax, and advisory services across New Zealand. It overlaps with Polson Higgs on tax and business advisory but serves larger corporates and government, positioning it as a broad incumbent in the same professional services category.
• EY New Zealand: EY New Zealand is a Big-4 professional services firm with full-service tax, assurance, and advisory offerings. It is comparable to Polson Higgs as an industry peer but operates at significantly larger scale and serves enterprise rather than SME clients as its core base.
• PwC New Zealand: PwC New Zealand is a Big-4 professional services firm offering assurance, tax, and advisory services. While Polson Higgs targets SMEs and rural clients rather than the large corporates PwC primarily serves, both compete in the broader New Zealand accounting and advisory services market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/polson-higgs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Polson Higgs