About us

We are a New Zealand based company initially focussed on the local market but in the process of adding content and infrastructure to service the international market.

Our initial focus is on the Audit and Chartered Accounting profession however the platform we have developed has much wider application as we continue to add new functionality and new modules
We highly value our users and collaborate closely with them in our development process
Our small focussed team, online delivery model, and agile approach makes it possible to implement new features and fixes very quickly
We also collaborate with those with particular expertise in certain areas including an optional add-in of the Brookers Financial Disclosures templates and for firms contracted to audit Schools we use adaptations of the templates provided by the Office of the Auditor General
Other specific projects are also in progress including an application for Insolvency engagements (Insolvency Assistant) due for release in early 2013

Training and Support

We are committed to the ongoing satisfaction of our users - we want them to keep using our platform and recommending it to others. To this end we aim to provide best quality support and training.

We provide full in-house training for firms in New Zealand as required at fixed cost regardless of location
Most firms find that they can use the software immediately, but find training useful once they have a basic familiarity
Contact us for more information on training
Support is provided from our online help-desk
Cost of support is included in the subscription
A Basic User Guide PDF is available for download

No up-front cost

Utilising the Software as a Service/Cloud delivery model we are able to provide a very economical platform for your work.

Cost for Audit jobs works out at around $20-$30 per job per year
Subscription cost for use is based on number of jobs in a series of charging steps, to provide accessibility for all sized firms - we particularly support helping small firms to maintain an effective audit function but also service larger firms
Subscription payment may be made monthly or annually in advance (annual subject to 5% discount)
There is no fixed term contract and users may easily change service levels
All data remains the property of your firm and may downloaded in PDF format at any stage
See sign up page for details.
All levels have the same features and allow unlimited users - (apart from optional add-in for Thomson Reuters content only available on "Standard" plan and above)
To get started there is a free single job version available - this is fully featured, remains usable for 90 days and will be retained on upgrade

Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS means the software is maintained by us on a server and accessed by users over the internet.

All modern browsers will run Audit Assistant therefore computer type, operating system or network type is not an issue
Potentially a firm may run a full audit/assurance function without a LAN as our platform provides this network via the internet
Security on a SaaS model is as high or higher than a normal office-based network or PC/Laptop - our hosting, backups and security are handled by a professional data centre (Sitehost in Auckland)
We also back up our database and all client attachments to the international file storage service Amazon S3
We have an automated 'snapshot' system enabling users to revert to prior versions of the job in case of accidental data deletion

History

We created the original Excel version of Audit Assistant in 1999 answering a need for auditors in NZ to produce efficient work-papers that are compliant with the NZ Codified Auditing Standards.

In 2003 we updated the product to a new version adding many further features and eventually a Microsoft .NET ‘front end’ - continuing to use Excel for the actual work-papers but with additional functionality
With the advances in online software technology and the adoption in NZ of the International Auditing Standards we developed the new product incorporating the features of the existing version into a much more powerful and flexible platform - this online version which was launched in March 2009
This version is in continual development as new features and templates are added to expand the scope of work possible

Our Directors

Clive McKegg has many years experience in Chartered Accounting, including audits of large and small Companies and Not-for-profit organisations.

He graduated BCom from Auckland University in 1982 and was admitted to the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1984
He worked for Hutchison Hull (Deloittes) in audit for 3 years
He has since worked in a number of second tier firms and smaller firms, owning his own practice from 2003-2010
In March 2010 he sold his practice to concentrate full-time on Audit Assistant
He is currently responsible for content, sales, development and training
Clive also has recently completed a graduate diploma in theology and world-views, enjoys playing squash and spending time with his wife Sylvia, is passionate about community development and is based in Whangarei, NZ

Matt McKegg has been involved in Audit Assistant since its early days and has followed his passion in software and graphic design into his own career as a software architect and programmer.