Brown Glassford & Co Limited is a specialist farming accounting firm based on Wairakei Road in Burnside, Christchurch, serving the rural and farming communities of Canterbury, the South Island and New Zealand as a whole. With a history stretching back more than 30 years, the practice has built its reputation on farm accounting and business advice delivered by people who genuinely understand rural life — including how economic cycles, variable weather and fluctuating commodity prices shape a farming business's productivity and profitability.
The firm is led by Directors Paul McCarron, David Seath, Sam Foster and Tim Wade, supported by a staff of 27, all of whom have specialist expertise across all aspects of agribusiness. Together they handle around 2,750 clients a year and bring some 486 years of combined experience to the table.
Services centre on three areas: accounting and tax, covering income tax, GST, FBT, PAYE and RWT returns, ACC obligations, financial statements, management accounts, statutory filings and IRD audit support; company and trust administration, from formations and annual returns through to minutes, statutory records and share transfers; and business, taxation and succession planning, including asset protection, exit strategies and preparing a business or farm for sale.
Brown Glassford & Co positions itself as a collaborator rather than a contractor — in its own words, it doesn't work for you, it works with you. Trust, accuracy, confidentiality and professionalism underpin the practice, alongside a genuine embrace of technology, from recommended payroll software to the tailored electronic year-end questionnaires introduced in 2026 to make life easier for busy rural clients.
On the second floor of a building on Wairakei Road in Burnside, one of the South Island's most established rural accounting practices has been looking after the financial health of New Zealand farms for more than three decades. **Brown Glassford & Co Limited** are specialist farming accountants — based in Christchurch, but serving rural and farming communities across the South Island and throughout New Zealand.
The firm's roots are firmly in the land it serves. For over 30 years it has championed farmers in Canterbury and beyond, and that longevity comes from understanding what its clients live with: cycles of the economy, variable weather and fluctuating commodity prices that shape a farm's productivity and profitability. Its mission is stated simply — to be the best it can be for its clients and deliver lasting value through long-term working relationships.
Brown Glassford & Co is led by four Directors — Paul McCarron, David Seath, Sam Foster and Tim Wade — supported by a staff of 27, all of whom have specialist expertise in aspects of agribusiness. The practice describes its team as having hands-on experience of rural affairs, and the firm's published numbers are striking: around 2,750 clients handled annually and 486 years of experience between them.
That depth shows in how the firm works. It describes itself as relationship-focused — getting to know your business, your people, your processes and, most importantly, where you want to be — and as a collaborator rather than a contractor: in its own words, "we don't work for you, we work with you."
The practice organises its expertise around three areas.
**Accounting & Tax** is the engine room. The team prepares income tax, GST, FBT, PAYE and RWT returns, attends to ACC obligations, prepares financial statements and periodic management accounts, files statutory returns for the Companies Office and Statistics Department, and acts as tax agent in dealings with Inland Revenue — including managing any audits or disputes. The stated goal is to work in partnership with clients to minimise tax and help them achieve their key objectives.
**Company & Trust Administration** keeps structures compliant with the Companies Act 1993. Services include company formations, filing annual returns, preparing minutes and resolutions, maintaining statutory records and minute books, assisting with changes of directors, shareholders and addresses, share transfers, a registered office facility and the special reporting requirements of trusts.
**Business, Taxation & Succession Planning** looks further ahead. The team advises on tax-effective structures for asset protection and tax minimisation, walks clients through succession options and their common challenges, helps with the "courageous conversations" with key stakeholders, and assists with deciding who is best to succeed and when, forming an exit strategy and getting a business or farm ready for sale.
The firm honours tradition and heritage but embraces the new. It explores the best technological solutions to streamline administration, and is happy to guide clients considering a software change — currently recommending Smartpayroll and Paysauce. From 1 April 2026 it has also introduced tailored electronic questionnaires to streamline the collection of year-end information, aiming to reduce follow-up emails, improve accuracy and complete work more efficiently.
The office is at Level 2, 504 Wairakei Road, Burnside, Christchurch, with client carparks for your use. One heads-up for visitors: roadworks outside the building are scheduled to run from 4 May 2026 to approximately the end of July, weather permitting. Wairakei Road operates one-way westbound between Breens Road and the Roydvale/Woolridge Road roundabout during the works, and carpark access may be temporarily restricted at times — the team will work with clients on appointment times or an alternate meeting venue if needed. To get in touch, call (03) 365 0881 or email [email protected].