30 October 2006
For immediate release
Opportunity to join Institute
The New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants is offering people with finance and accountancy training an
opportunity to join the professional body as part of its process of opening the College of Associate Chartered
Accountants as a mid-tier qualification.
Associate Chartered Accountant is one of three qualification offered by the Institute, with the others being Accounting
Technician and Chartered Accountant. To qualify, Associate Chartered Accountants complete a five-year programme, which
includes a three-year degree plus two years' work experience while undertaking further professional training. Newly
qualified Associate Chartered Accountants are well positioned to work as financial and business analysts and advisors,
in middle-management roles and for Chartered Accountants in public practice.
For a limited period of twelve months (to 1 November 2007), those already in the workforce can apply to enter the
College using a special-entry route that recognises a mix of academic and work experience as equivalent to the level of
competence gained through the standard five-year programme.
Membership of the professional body offers a number of benefits, including:
• the credibility that comes with a well-recognised qualification that assures potential employers about members'
commitment, skill and experience
• a full range of services to support members in their professional capacity
• a quality assurance process recognised by employers and clients
• an internationally recognised qualification
• the opportunity to contribute in a wide range of advocacy and standards development activities, both in New
Zealand and internationally.
Institute Chief Executive Garry Muriwai said that the ACA designation "allows us to now offer potential members,
employers and clients a wider range of choices that reflect their needs".
Accounting Technicians undertake a four-year programme, and qualify with the ability to run accounting systems and
processes, and analyse and manage financial data.
Chartered Accountants, by contrast, complete a seven-year programme that includes a mix of advanced accounting, business
and professional knowledge and skills, fitting the Chartered Accountant for a leadership role in finance and accounting
or in the wider business arena.
Members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants are committed to and trained in the high technical, ethical and
behavioural standards of the Institute, and undertake formal professional development every year as part of their
membership obligation.
The New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants is the country's largest professional body with nearly 29,000
members.
ENDS