By Meredith Booth

Jamie Cattell CA is happy to be involved in accounting and charity law, an area that is evolving and presenting new challenges.

The senior accountant for New Zealand government agency Charities Services says new reporting standards presented a challenge for charities at first and he’s proud to have played a role in helping organisations meet their requirements and tell their stories.

Cattell has been a judging supervisor for the CA ANZ Charity Reporting Awards, which has done good work to lift the awareness of reporting standards, he says. With 27,000 registered charities in New Zealand, he is encouraged by the huge number of good people who want to do good things.

After beginning his career in PwC’s assurance practice, Cattell started volunteering in the sector in 2016 as treasurer for the Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust. He chose the trust because it was a Wellington splinter of a national charity in need of financial expertise.

“In my career before that point, I’d been working for a big accounting firm but I wanted to do something that had real human impact and tangible positive benefits,” he says.

“In my career before that point I’d been working for a big accounting firm but I wanted to do something that had real human impact and tangible positive benefits.”

“As a CA, I’m certainly happy now. I can’t say forever but as long as it keeps giving me new challenges I will probably be interested in charity accounting. Charities law is still evolving such that there are always new things.”

Cattell is an active member of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand Not-For-Profit Special Interest Group and Trans-Tasman Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee. He also has volunteered as a CA ANZ Charity Reporting Awards judging supervisor and was a member of the organising committee for the Charity Law, Accounting and Regulation Conference.

Cattell was recently named the CA ANZ 2019 Young CA Regional Advocate, Wellington. He is one of 12 Young CA Regional Advocates, who are shortlisted for the 2019 President’s Prize, to be announced in late 2019. The prize recognises CA ANZ members under 35 who have made an outstanding commitment to the accounting profession and have used their skills in service of their local community.

Jamie Cattell CA
Charities Services, NZ Department of Internal Affairs, senior accountant
Age: 28
Other roles:
2019 Young CA Regional Advocate, Wellington
CA ANZ Charity Reporting Awards, judging supervisor
CA ANZ NZ Not-For-Profit Special Interest Group, member
CA ANZ Trans-Tasman Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee, member
Charity Law, Accounting and Regulation Conference, organising committee member
Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust, treasurer (Sept 2016 - Jan 2018)