20/09/2026
โจ ๐ง๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ - ๐ช๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ!! ๐
At the risk of repeating myself... I do need to share this one. โค๏ธ
And please bear with my TED Talk because this one might be long ๐
There are a few thank yous I need to say, and a bit of a journey to acknowledge about how we got here. There will definitely be some follow-up posts, especially when the official photos arrive!
Last night, Virtual Professionals from all over Aotearoa came together for the NZ Virtual Assistant Awards, and I am incredibly proud to share that ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ ๐ก๐ญ was awarded ๐ง๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ!
It's already been a rather extraordinary year for Balanced Books, and after the recognition we've received from both ICNZB and NZQBA, this feels a little like the cherry on top of a bookkeeping awards hat trick I never expected to have.
Having Institute of Certified NZ Bookkeepers sponsor the Top Performing Bookkeeper Award this year made it feel even more full circle.
When I stood on stage at the ICNZB Excellence Awards earlier this year, there was so much happening in our lives that I don't think I ever really stopped and understood what we'd achieved. I was mostly concentrating on looking after my family, my clients, keeping everything moving and getting through whatever life threw at us next.
& life certainly doubled down this year. but Apparently, so did I.
We kept learning, improving our systems, doing the mahi and looking after our clients. And somehow, amongst all of it, Balanced Books has continued to go from strength to strength.
So to actually stand on another stage last night and hear our name called was a pretty incredible moment.
Even more special was having more than a handful of my clients in the room celebrating alongside me. These awards might have my name on them, but the work behind them comes from the businesses and people who trust me to be part of their journey.
Thank you for letting me into your businesses, trusting me with your numbers, sharing the plans and challenges, and allowing me to do work I genuinely love. โค๏ธ
I also need to say that I was incredibly proud to stand alongside Kathryn, Nikki & Tash as finalists for Community Contributor.
I love that this community works because so many people simply show up, share what they know and support the people around them.
A massive congratulations to Kat on taking this one home. โค๏ธ You absolutely deserve it! Here's a personal thank you from me for everything you've done, this year and in the years before it, to help this community shine.
A huge thank you to Marianne and Toyah for everything you do through Virtual Assistant Network New Zealand and The VA Foundry. For taking on this community and ensuring it could continue to thrive, grow and evolve alongside our industry, and of course for everything that goes into bringing these awards together.
To all the sponsors and judges who give their time, expertise and support, thank you too.
& to my fellow VPs, biz besties, fellow bookkeepers, friends, family and especially Ed, thank you. There are a whole lot of people behind these photos who have encouraged, referred, listened, helped, checked in, celebrated the good stuff and simply been there through the rest.
None of this happens alone.
There are plenty more people and moments I want to share once the official photos arrive. But for now, I'm going to let myself soak this one in. ๐ฅน
& while it does, it's back to getting the work over the line, getting clients up to date, and getting into the proactive planning I love. Understanding what the numbers are telling us, helping our clients work out what comes next, and seeing where we can take things from here. We'll keep learning together, doing the mahi, sharing what we know and going from strength to strength. & see who else we can help along the way.
๐ง๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ ๐Another one to add to a list I still can't quite believe is mine.โค๏ธ
