44 | 30 years of dedicated rural service Polson Higgs is a five-partner firm with close to 70 staff, who offer support across a range of industries. Jack Hutton-Atkins. Kim Bowden “Clients want forward-looking advice around cashflow, debt, and how to manage uncertainty from season to season.” RURAL SERVICES » Polson Higgs - Dunedin For more than 30 years, Polson Higgs has worked alongside farmers across Otago and Southland, building long-standing relationships grounded in an understanding of how rural businesses operate. The traditional accounting service has changed significantly with advances in technology. “Those days of dropping the books off once a year are largely gone,” rural team lead Tom Hanning says. “Farmers are dealing with more moving parts now, and they need advice that keeps pace with that.” Today, Polson Higgs supports clients with succession planning, farm diversification decisions, compliance, tax and long-term strategy. Based in the lower South Island, the firm has maintained a strong focus on agriculture, working with many families across multiple generations. That experience has given its advisers a frontrow seat of how farming has changed over time. “We’ve seen how farming businesses have had to adapt - not just to market conditions, but to regulation, scale and family dynamics,” Tom says. Polson Higgs is a five-partner firm with close to 70 staff, who offer support across a range of industries because of their valued skilled sets. Its rural team - David Hogue, Jamie Reidie, Jack Hutton-Atkins and Gayan Mendis all join Tom - have farming backgrounds, combining practical knowledge of farm systems with commercial and governance experience. “Compliance and tax are still essential, but they’re only part of the picture now,” David Hogue says. “Clients want forward-looking advice around cashflow, debt, and how to manage uncertainty from season to season.” Tools such as cashflow forecasting, budgeting, and scenario modelling have become central to that work, particularly in an environment where conditions can shift quickly. Technology is playing its role. Polson Higgs uses platforms such as Figured and Farm Focus to give clients access to up-to-date financial information throughout the season, not after the fact. The firm can also draw on data across its client base to help provide benchmarking services. “That information helps clients prioritise decisions, test assumptions and work through issues affecting both the business and the wider family,” Jack Hutton-Atkins says. Regular meetings with clients, often on-farm, are the norm. Succession planning remains one of the biggest challenges facing rural clients. With capital often tied up in land and infrastructure, families are balancing the needs of retiring owners, the next generation, and those not directly involved in the business. “We work with clients on longer-term planning, including ownership structures and off-farm investment options, while helping them manage the growing number of unknowns facing the sector,” Tom says. “Strong cashflow management plays a key role in navigating this uncertainty and also having honest conversations with the family.” Polson Higgs also draws on in-house specialist tax expertise, supporting clients through complex transactions and long-term structuring decisions. “We’ve got a tax team that’s well known across the country, including for training other accounting Your Rural Accountants ph.co.nz firms,” David says. “That depth means we can pick up issues early and help clients navigate large-scale farm sales and more complex situations.” Looking ahead, Polson Higgs is focused on providing proactive advisory services and solutions. “Our role is not just to report what’s happened,” Tom says. “It’s to help clients make informed decisions about what comes next.”
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