Professional Advisory Team

Susie has a wide range of governance experience including the Office of the Auditor General's Audit & Risk Committee, chairing the Dunedin City Council's Audit and Risk Committee and the Southern District Health Board's Finance Audit and Risk group, and board roles with REANNZ, Otago Polytechnic, Southland, Otago and Southern District Health Boards, Tourism New Zealand, the NZ Blood Service and the New Zealand Hockey Federation.  She is currently a director of Dunedin City Holdings Ltd and several of its associated companies and a trustee of the Dunedin Diocesan Trust Board and the Clutha Foundation.

Locally, she likes to work with agri folk and the businesses that support them. Her focus is helping people achieve optimal outcomes whatever their circumstances, especially in the areas of succession planning and property sharing. 

• Specialist fields: Governance, Systems, Education and Health, Agri Advisory, Succession, Relationship Property Resolution

Gaye and husband, Nigel, farm 525 ha at Tuapeka West, Lawrence. Gaye loves working with her sheep, beef and dairy farming clients to help them grow their businesses, from those just starting out in their farming journey to assisting with succession to the next generation. Gaye is passionate about her community, she currently chairs Tuapeka Community Health, is Treasurer for the Tuapeka Goldfields Museum and has had roles on Clutha Development, Telford Rural Polytechnic, Clutha Valley Primary School & St Hilda’s Collegiate Boards.  Gaye spent 6 years as a member of the Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand Rural Sector Committee and has been a facilitator for Agri Women’s Development Trust. 

Tracey is a Chartered Accountant with a degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Studies from the Open Polytechnic. She has a broad range of experience in the SME sector working with businesses and investors on their reporting and tax obligations and helping larger organisations with full scale management and external reporting. She has specialist skills in finding "best fit" software solutions for SMEs and implementing business process automation software solutions and loves to help with day to day system issues. 

Tracey is the treasurer of two local churches, and founding board member of Recovered Living NZ and is also  on the Dunedin Diocesan Finance Committee.

• Specialist fields: Taxation, Advisory Services for SMEs, DIY Software & Solutions, Business Startups, Restructuring

Jim holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Commerce from Lincoln as well as a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Otago University. He is an innovator and facilitator in the areas of agri governance, benchmarking, and investment. He helps farming families lift on-farm performance and find succession and relationship solutions. Jim served for several years on the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountant's primary sector committee, is a previous board member of Clutha Health First and was the inaugural Chair of Sport Clutha.  More recently Jim has been working with the committee steering the new Town Hall project in Balclutha.

• Specialist fields: Farm Management, Sector Benchmarking, Health Sector, Agri Governance, Agri Business, Succession

CA

With a degree from Lincoln University (Farm Management|Rural Valuation) Agri is very much Tim's home base and he particularly enjoys working with farmers, foresters and the industries that support them. He has interests in advisory, taxation, business planning and benchmarking.  Tim actively contributes to industry leadership judging for the Ballance Farm Environment Awards and completed the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme in 2023.

• Specialist fields: Agri Advisory, Farm Benchmarking, DIY Software Solutions, Taxation, Forestry/ETS

CA

Nicole joined Shand Thomson after graduating from the University of Otago.  She was awarded CA status with CAANZ in 2017.  Nicole has a natural talent with IT solutions and has experience in almost all of the options available.  She enjoys working with young people starting out in business.  Nicole gives back to the community through governance roles on local charity and incorporated society boards.

• Specialist fields: Agri Advisory, DIY Software & Solutions, Taxation, Xero Implementation



Carolyn joined the Shand Thomson team in 1985 and worked with Jeff Seymour for many years.  Her skill and judgement were recognised when she was appointed an Associate in 2020.

Carolyn leads technical training sessions for our team and her quietly confident and pleasant manner are a real asset to all she works with.

• Specialist fields: Agri Advisory, Farm Benchmarking, Taxation

Community

Our advisors have a proud history of supporting community organisations. Te Pou Ō Mata-Au (The Hub), The Clutha Foundation, Clutha Recreation Centre and Owaka Museum are just a few of the entities that we are passionate about.

Fellows

Fellowship is the highest accolade that our professional body awards and we are very proud of the line of Shand Thomson fellows - A W Thomson, Brian Dodds, Bill Thomson, Susie Johnstone, Jim Johnstone, Jeff Seymour and Gaye Cowie.