Silks Audit Chartered Accountants Ltd

What Silks Audit Chartered Accountants Ltd does

Silks Audit Chartered Accountants Ltd is a New Zealand-based chartered accountancy firm that provides audit and assurance services exclusively, maintaining structural independence by not offering tax, advisory, or consulting work. The firm traces its origin to 1904 in Whanganui and was reconstituted as a stand-alone audit practice in 2010 when Cameron Town separated the audit group from the broader Silks business advisory services; Talia Anderson-Town joined as second partner in 2014. Both directors are FCA-qualified Chartered Accountants and hold Licensed Auditor registration with the Financial Markets Authority (FMA), Appointed Auditor status with the Office of the Auditor General, and Qualified Auditor credentials with CA ANZ. The firm is registered under the Auditor Regulation Act 2011 and fields four FMA-licensed auditors.

The firm's service portfolio spans statutory audit and assurance engagements, review engagements, agreed-upon procedures, internal audits, stocktakes and fixed asset verifications, technical accounting opinions, and specialised AML/CFT audits. Its technology footprint is limited to standard remote-collaboration tooling (Teams, Zoom, cloud storage) adopted for virtual audits during COVID-19 lockdowns. Silks Audit serves a vertically diversified client base spanning Māori organisations operating under Te Ture Whenua Act 1993, schools (auditing 160+ annually and over 2,800 cumulative audits since 1989 under the Tomorrow Schools framework), farms and forests, charitable trusts, FMC reporting entities, prospectus/issuer entities, gambling operators, and AML/CFT-regulated clients.

The firm operates seven offices across New Zealand (Whanganui HQ, New Plymouth, Taupō, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Hamilton, Auckland) and delivers on-site audits at client locations at no additional cost, serving clients from Northland to Otago. Revenue is generated through annual engagement fees under quote-based pricing tailored to client size and complexity, with no publicly disclosed fee schedules. Go-to-market is relationship-led through partners and regional managers, supplemented by community sponsorships, LinkedIn and Facebook presence, and CA ANZ network referrals.

Name

Silks Audit Chartered Accountants Ltd

Legal name

Silks Audit Chartered Accountants Ltd

Website

https://silksaudit.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Silks Audit is a New Zealand chartered accountancy firm delivering independent audit and assurance services across seven offices, serving Māori organisations, schools, farms, charitable trusts, FMC-reporting companies and regulated sectors with on-site engagement nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audit and Assurance Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHABAA

Audit & Assurance Services

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Accounting, Audit & Tax Services

Keywords

• Audit assurance services
• External financial audit
• Chartered accounting services
• Regulatory compliance audit
• Māori organisation audit

Headquarters

HQ city

Whanganui

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Audit and Assurance Services: The firm generates revenue through providing professional audit and assurance services to various sectors including education, Māori organisations, companies, charitable trusts, farms, forests, and gambling operators. Revenue is earned through engagement fees for audit services, review engagements, agreed upon procedures, and technical accounting opinions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Silks Audit provides independent audit and assurance services to organisations across New Zealand. Core offerings include audit and assurance engagements, review engagements, agreed-upon procedures, internal audits, stocktakes and fixed asset verifications, technical accounting opinions, and AML/CFT audit services. The firm delivers these services on-site at client locations across sectors including education, Māori organisations, charitable trusts, farms, forests, companies, and gambling operators.

Product overview

Silks Audit offers a unified portfolio of audit and assurance services rather than a software product. The core service offering includes Audit and Assurance Engagements, Review Engagements, Agreed Upon Procedures, Internal Audits, Stocktakes and Fixed Asset Verifications, Technical Accounting Opinions, and specialized AML/CFT Audit Services. The firm services diverse sectors including schools, Māori organizations, farms, forests, companies, charitable trusts, and gambling operators across New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audit and Assurance Engagement Independent professional service that reviews financial statements, internal controls, operating environment and risks to provide an opinion that financial statements are free from material errors or fraud. Involves detailed tests including inspection, observation, confirmation, recalculation and re-performance. Offered to organisations across education, Māori authorities, companies, charitable trusts, farms, forests, and other regulated sectors.
• Review Engagement Moderate level assurance engagement using enquiry and analytical review procedures to provide negative assurance reports on whether financial statements present a true and fair view. Available to organisations across all sectors served by the firm.
• Agreed Upon Procedures Custom engagement where specific procedures are performed with respect to information, with the auditor reporting factual findings resulting from the procedures performed. Delivered to clients requiring targeted, fact-based reporting on specified matters.
• Internal Audits Procedures designed to test whether internal controls and systems are functioning as intended and in the most efficient manner, helping reduce risk of systems leaking cash or fraud. Available to clients across all sectors.
• Stocktakes and Fixed Asset Verifications Independent stock counts (full or sampling/rolling counts) and verification of fixed assets, including review of stock procedures and internal controls to prevent fraud and error. Targeted at clients requiring physical inventory and asset verification.
• Technical Accounting Opinions Expert opinions on IFRS compliance, financial reporting standards, statutory requirements (Companies Act, Financial Reporting Act), and GAAP matters. Provided to clients requiring specialist accounting and regulatory interpretations.
• AML/CFT Audit Services Assurance engagements over Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism risk assessments and programmes as required biennially under the AML/CFT Act 2009. Targeted at regulated entities including Class 4 gambling licensees and other AML/CFT-obligated clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Conducted almost 2,800 school audits since 1989, currently auditing over 160 schools annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WhakahaumaruminorOthersWhakahaumaru is a Māori business network organisation that Silks Audit partners with through their sectors page, serving Māori businesses in the region.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EY New Zealand: New Zealand arm of Ernst & Young, one of the Big Four global professional services firms, providing audit and assurance alongside broader advisory services. Comparable as a broad NZ audit incumbent with the scale and FMA licensure to take mid-market and FMC work from regional firms.
• KPMG New Zealand: New Zealand practice of KPMG, one of the Big Four global professional services networks, providing audit, tax, and advisory. Comparable as a broad incumbent in NZ audit with broad sector coverage including government, Māori, and primary sectors that overlap with Silks' verticals.
• PwC New Zealand: New Zealand office of PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the Big Four global professional services firms, providing audit and assurance alongside wider advisory. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same regulated-entity, FMC-reporting, and large-company audit mandates.
• Deloitte New Zealand: New Zealand office of one of the Big Four global professional services firms, offering audit, consulting, tax, and advisory across all major industries. Comparable as a broader incumbent in NZ audit with full Big Four capability serving some of Silks Audit's regulated and listed client segments.

Direct peers

• Baker Tilly Staples Rodway: A New Zealand-based chartered accountancy firm with multiple regional offices providing audit, tax, and advisory services to mid-market and SME clients. Closely comparable as a NZ mid-tier multi-office audit practice competing for similar education, Māori, primary sector, and trust clients.
• Crowe New Zealand: Member of the global Crowe network providing audit, tax, and advisory services in NZ. Comparable as a mid-tier chartered accountancy firm with FMA-licensed capability and multi-office NZ presence serving similar mid-market and regulated-entity clients.
• PKF New Zealand: New Zealand mid-tier chartered accountancy and audit firm operating through a network of regional offices. Comparable as a similarly sized NZ-focused mid-tier audit practice serving SMEs, charities, and trust entities.
• BDO New Zealand: One of the largest mid-tier accounting and audit networks in New Zealand with a multi-office footprint offering audit, tax, and advisory across commercial and not-for-profit sectors. Directly comparable as a competing multi-office NZ audit firm pursuing mid-market and regulated-entity mandates.
• Grant Thornton New Zealand: Mid-tier global accounting network operating in NZ across multiple regional offices, providing audit and assurance to listed, private, and NFP entities. Comparable as a multi-office NZ mid-tier auditor with overlapping regulated-entity and mid-market client base.

Others

• Xero: New Zealand-founded cloud accounting software platform serving accountants, bookkeepers, and SMEs globally. Adjacent ecosystem player rather than a direct competitor — Silks' audit client base overlaps with Xero's accountant user base, and Xero's tools can shape the productivity and economics of audit engagements firm-wide.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SilksAudit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silksaudit

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

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 Silks Audit Chartered Accountants Ltd