Reducing risk: 28 October provisional tax
The current market conditions are making it even trickier to work out how much provisional tax to pay, not to mention finding the funds to pay it. That’s why, with 28 October approaching, we’re going to offer some ways to reduce your risk in this uncertain environment.
TMNZ offers options to defer this payment for up to 19 months – without having to worry about any nasty consequence from Inland Revenue (IR). We also look at the pros and cons of the respective options available to calculate your payment.
For taxpayers with a 31 March balance date who file their GST returns every six months, 28 October will be the first of two provisional tax instalments payable for the 2024-25 income year. It is also the first of three instalments payable for those with a 31 May year-end who file their GST returns monthly or every two months.
So, as you can see, it's an important payment date.
What should you pay?
While working out the liability to the exact cent is far from easy – even at the best of times – it does not change the fact you generally have two options when it comes to calculating your provisional tax payments. They are:
- Pay based on an uplift of an income tax liability from a previous year. This is known as using the standard uplift method.
- Pay based on your current expectation of profitability for the 2024-25 income year.
Paying based on an uplift of a prior year
If you travel down this route, the provisional tax payable for the 2024-25 income year will be based on either:
- Your 2024 income tax liability plus five percent; or
- Your 2023 income tax liability plus 10 percent (if your accountant has not filed your 2024 tax return and does not legally have to do so until 31 March 2025).
The benefit of paying uplift means you will not incur IR interest (UOMI) – from 28 October 2024 if it turns out you have not paid enough provisional tax to satisfy the liability for the year.
Given this is the date which carries the longest exposure to UOMI, sticking with uplift may be a sound insurance policy if you feel a similar result to last year is on the cards or want to play it safe in this uncertain environment to ensure you are not caught short later if business picks up down the track.
And besides, if things turn to custard, you can always revise your payment downwards later to account for any overpayment on 28 October once the picture starts to become clearer.
However, the downside of paying on uplift means you may end up making a provisional tax payment that is not reflective of your current earnings (or more than your expected profitability for the year). From a cashflow perspective, that can be problematic as generally you will not be able to get your overpaid tax back from IR until after you have filed your 2024-25 income tax return.
Paying based on forecast profitability
Indeed, there’s no denying many New Zealand businesses have been doing it tough and are forecasting lower profits. As such, you may be considering making a payment on 28 October that is more in line with how you are currently performing – especially if your business earnings have been significantly impacted.
On plus side, you won’t be paying any more provisional tax than you need to if you choose to do this. That will certainly offer a cashflow benefit by allowing you to keep money in your business.
You can always revise payments upward or downward depending on how everything unfolds. However, it means you run the risk of incurring UOMI from 28 October 2024 if you experience a sudden or late upswing in profitability during the backend of the 2024-25 income year and provisional tax paid on this dates turns out to be less than the amount required.
That said, there is a way to reduce the interest cost on underpaid tax. More on that shortly.
Do you need to file an estimate with IR to pay less than uplift?
We get this question a lot. You do not – repeat, do not – need to file an estimate with IRD if you plan on paying provisional tax based on your expected profitability for the 2024-25 income year. There is no legislative requirement to do so. Just make your payment on 28 October as you see fit.
Tax pooling can help if you cannot pay, or it turns out you have not paid enough
No matter the basis you utilise to calculate your 28 October payment, IR-approved TMNZ can offer some assistance, with payment options for taxpayers who:
- Do not or cannot make their payment on the prescribed IR payment date.
- Want to eliminate IR interest and late payment penalties if they underpay their tax.
Pay 28 October provisional tax when it suits you
Where preserving cash is of primary importance, you can use TMNZ to defer an upcoming provisional tax payment for up to 19 months, without facing UOMI and late payment penalties.
TMNZ will make a payment to IR on your behalf on 28 October. You then pay TMNZ later. This can be once the liability for the 2024-25 income year is known or when your cashflow situation improves. The amount owed can also be paid in instalments.
You would have until mid-June 2026 to pay what you owe with Flexitax if you have a 7 April terminal tax date. Check with your accountant if you are unsure what your terminal tax date is. There is some interest to pay to TMNZ – but this is significantly cheaper than IRD’s UOMI rate.
Reduce the cost of underpaid tax
Tax pooling is not just for those who are struggling to pay IR on time.
Where forecasting profitability for the 2024-25 income year is proving challenging or you would simply prefer to make your provisional tax payments based on how your business is performing by reviewing your position at each instalment date, you can rest easy knowing that TMNZ can help in the event you get your payments wrong and wind up with additional tax to pay.
That’s because you can use TMNZ to make significant savings on the IR interest cost you face and wipe late payment penalties when you underpay tax.
How? TMNZ lets you apply provisional tax that was originally paid to the tax department on the date(s) it was due against your liability. As such, IR treats it as if you paid on time once it processes this tax pooling transaction. This eliminates any late payment penalties.
You have up to 75 days from your terminal tax date for the 2024-25 income year to pay any underpaid provisional tax with TMNZ. It’s a useful option to pull out of your back pocket once you determine your actual position and file your return. The savings TMNZ offers on underpaid tax can be significant.
Speak with your accountant
As always, we recommend you speak with and direct any questions you have about your 28 October provisional tax payment to your accountant. If you don’t have an accountant, check out the directory of firms that TMNZ works alongside. You can filter this list by specialist topic or search for a tax agent in your region.
Tax Finance: An alternative funding source
Growing a business is hard yakka. More specifically, it costs money.
And therein lies a problem for many small business owners: Cashflow. In fact, it’s not a problem. It’s a major problem. According to Xero’s Small Business Insights, New Zealand business sales fell by over 8% for the year ending June 2024.
Now granted, there are several choices available when it comes to accessing funds you need to. A bank loan, overdraft, credit card and an unsecured loan are just some.
But again, it’s not that simple. There can be a few hoops to jump through as part of the approval process and you will likely have to use assets as collateral, often using your personal house (or the house of a shareholder, for example) as security to get a lower cost of funds. If there is no approval or credit review process, then chances are you will be up for double-digit interest rates. Ouch.
However, there is another option. It’s one you probably have not heard about either.
The other option – Tax Finance
Did you know that your provisional tax payments are also a source of finance? Yes, that’s right – provisional tax. That thing many small business owners loathe paying. That thing that places undue pressure on, you guessed it, cashflow.
Allow us to explain.
An IR-approved tax pooling provider such as TMNZ offers a payment option known as Tax Finance. It lets you free up working capital by deferring a provisional tax payment to a later date, without incurring Inland Revenue (IR) interest of 10.91% (as at 7 August 2024) and late payment penalties.
For an upfront finance fee, you can choose a time in the future you wish to pay what you owe. Essentially, this allows you to use the money you have set aside for income tax more productively.
The finance fee or interest you pay to TMNZ is:
- similar to the interest rate charged by a bank for a residential mortgage; and
- tax-deductible.
So, you could also use the money set aside to repay your mortgage earlier, thereby reducing non-deductible interest costs charged by the banks on your personal house. The cost of Tax Finance is cheaper than using your business overdraft or an unsecured loan. Approval is guaranteed. Moreover, you do not have to provide any security.
Even better, if you already have paid tax deposits into the TMNZ tax pool, you can finance them back out while keeping the original tax date. We call this Tax Drawdown.
Altogether, this effectively treats your tax payments with the TMNZ tax pool as a revolving credit facility.
Who might Tax Finance suit?
Tax Finance will suit those who:
- are looking for funding that does not affect other lines of credit or their General Security Agreement with their bank
- want to keep headroom in their existing lending facilities
- do not wish to go through the rigmarole of the normal lending process
- want a fixed interest cost
- feel there is more to gain financially from being able to keep money in their business instead of paying income tax.
How much does Tax Finance cost?
It depends. The finance fee is based on the amount of tax due and the future date you wish to pay.
As mentioned above, the TMNZ finance fees are similar to the home loan mortgage interest rates charged by banks.
For instance, at current rates¹ it only costs $335 to defer a $10,000 provisional tax payment for six months. That works out to be approximately 6.70%pa².
How does Tax Finance work?
Here's how Tax Finance works in a nutshell:
- Ahead of your provisional tax payment date, you tell TMNZ the amount of tax you want to finance, the future date you want to finance that to (e.g., the date you think you may be able to pay the tax amount) and pay the finance fee based on the quote TMNZ provides. TMNZ arranges for a bank to make a payment for you in its tax pool account at IR on the provisional tax date. This payment is date-stamped.
- At the agreed upon future date (known as the maturity date), you have a few options:
- settle the full tax amount by paying TMNZ; or
- roll over the financed amount for another period of time – in this case you can get a quote for a further finance fee to pay based on how long you want to finance for;
- settle part of the financed tax and roll over the remaining part;
- settle only the amount you need (if your actual tax liability has reduced).
- Upon settlement of the financed tax, ownership of the tax deposit made by the bank changes to become owned by you and sits in your tax pooling account with TMNZ. You can then request TMNZ to transfer the tax payment it is holding on your behalf to your IR account to clear your tax liability. Once they’ve processed the transfer, IR treats this tax amount as if the tax was paid on your original provisional tax date. It will also reverse any interest and late payment penalties showing on your account.
In the event you choose the fourth bullet in step 2 above, there is no obligation on you for the remaining financed tax (even if you decide to not settle any of the financed tax). You can simply walk away, no questions asked. Or you can ask us to try and sell the residual unused financed amount for you and earn you some interest return, effectively getting some of your finance fee back.
TMNZ offers a competitive rate for Tax Finance. For more information, get in touch.
¹ At at August 2024
² The published ANZ 6 month residential mortgage rate as at 7 August 2024 is 6.99%pa if you have at least 80% LVR.
Five top tips for paying 28 August provisional tax
Are you due to pay 28 August provisional tax?
For many businesses, this will be their first instalment of provisional tax for the 2025 tax year. It’s important to stump up what you owe on this date. Inland Revenue (IR) won’t hesitate to charge steep interest and late payment penalties if you don’t.
If you’re a business owner or operator, here are five useful tips to ensure you’re ready to pay 28 August provisional tax. For agents, you may also wish to share these tips with your clients to help them prepare.
1. Assess your cashflow
Now’s the time to look at the money coming in and going out of your business.
Cast your eyes over your accounts receivable report to see which customers owe you money. If required, ask them if they can sort their bill earlier. Conversely, see if you can buy more time if you owe suppliers money.
If cashflow is tight or you have a better use for the money, keep reading. There’s an option that lets you pay 28 August provisional tax when it suits you.
2. Be aware of the changes
If you’re a safe harbour taxpayer, be aware that despite the rule changes, IR will still charge LPPs at each payment date. You can find out more about the changes here.
3. Know your methods to calculate 28 August provisional tax
It’s important you are aware of the different methods available to calculate your provisional tax payments. For more information about the provisional tax methods available to you, see our Provisional Tax Guide.
4. Consider using tax pooling
An IR-approved tax pooling intermediary such as TMNZ can assist if cashflow is tight. Working with us allows you to pay 28 August provisional tax at a time and in a manner that suits you, without incurring late payment penalties. You can defer the full payment to a date in the future or pay off what’s due in instalments.
Paying via TMNZ also means significant savings on Inland Revenue use of money interest.
TMNZ holds date-stamped tax for you in its IR account. You pay TMNZ at the agreed future date or as and when it suits your cashflow.
5. If in doubt, consult a professional
Do you have any questions about 28 August provisional tax? Seek the advice of an accountant or tax advisor. They can determine the best provisional tax calculation for your business and help you manage your payments and cashflow.
If you wish to learn more about the provisional tax payment flexibility TMNZ offers businesses, get in touch
Information in this article is correct as at 30/7/24. You should consult with your tax advisor concerning all tax matters. Read our Terms and conditions.
TMNZ: The ultimate cashflow flexibility tool for your business
In tough economic times, it can be hard for businesses to stay on top of cashflow and juggle their tax liabilities. For companies and sole traders dealing with fluctuating cashflow and provisional tax headaches, there’s an easier way to manage your obligations—tax pooling.
Did you know TMNZ’s tax pool can help you manage your tax by matching your cashflow forecasts with your provisional tax payments? And you can use tax pool deposits as an alternative funding source when cashflow is tight.
How we can help
TMNZ is an Inland Revenue (IR)-approved tax pooling provider, meaning you can use us to pay income tax on your behalf at a time that suits you. We offer greater flexibility over how and when you pay provisional tax.
First, you’ll need to think about your cashflow forecast. If you’re unsure how to put one together, read our cashflow management guide.
Once you’ve got your cashflow projection, we can work together to figure out the best time to pay your provisional tax. From there, all you need to do is tell us your tax amount owed, the date it is due, and how you would like to pay.
When your tax bill arrives, we’ll transfer the amount required to IR on your behalf as a time-stamped payment. IR will treat your tax as if it was paid on time, eliminating the risk of being charged interest or late payment fees. Simple.
A working capital solution
TMNZ’s payments to IR mean you can keep money in your business and use it at the times of the year you’ll need it most. You can top up your payments later into our tax pool at any time.
Tax pooling is a perfect solution for businesses worried about future cashflow and looming obligations. By partnering up with us, you’ll have total control over your tax bill, rather than working around IR’s strict deadlines.
With no more late fees and interest charges from IR to think about, you can get on with running your business. There will be no need to scrape together funds in the middle of holidays or quiet periods to meet IR’s deadlines.
TMNZ can also save you money by avoiding penalties and interest charges if you’ve missed or underpaid tax. We charge much lower interest rates than the penalties imposed by IR if you’re overdue.
We're a line of credit
Another amazing TMNZ feature is that we can be a line of credit for your business.
If you’ve deposited funds into our tax pool but find yourself short on cash, you can withdraw that money whenever you want to use it as working capital.
If you’ve paid provisional tax into our pool, you’ll have access to a working capital facility up to the value of your deposit. This provides even more flexibility for you and your team to get through a cash crunch and stay on top of debt management.
We can offer much cheaper interest rates than bank loans, overdrafts, or unsecured loans, meaning money withdrawn from our pool is better for you and your business, putting you in a stronger position at the end of the year.
Ready to learn more about the benefits of tax pooling?
Download our guide to Better Cashflow Management for top tips on managing cashflow throughout the financial year.
If you’re ready to take control of your tax and gain access to a valuable line of credit for your business, find out more at by reading our Tax Pooling 101 page to learn more about the full range of benefits of being in our pool.
Then talk to your tax adviser about TMNZ tax pooling to take away your tax management worries.
How TMNZ tech takes the pain out of tax
As New Zealand’s first ever tax pool, we’re proud of our long history of innovation. It’s at the heart of everything we do, and we’re always looking for new ways to simplify tax.
Technology has been at the forefront of our efforts, whether it’s rolling out new features for our customers, adding new functionality online, or partnering with forward-thinking digital platforms.
Recently, we’ve rolled out some amazing tools to help our customers and their accountants easily manage income tax.
Discover our top tech solutions to help you take the pain out of tax time, including tools to cut down on admin, share data between platforms, and get instant information on things like tax swaps.
Direct Inland Revenue Integration
TMNZ’s online dashboard is fully integrated with Inland Revenue (IR), meaning taxpayer information held by IR can be seamlessly shared on our platform, to make accountants lives easier.
In the past, accountants had to deal with multiple systems and spreadsheets to find accurate IR information. Integration means this admin work is no longer required.
Inland Revenue and TMNZ systems are directly connected so that key IR information is automatically populated on our dashboard. All relevant IR data, including Residual Income Tax figures, filing dates, and direct IR transactions appear on the TMNZ dashboard once you’ve logged in.
Thanks to IR integration, accountants can save time and reduce admin work. Direct IR integration also removes the risk of manual errors as clients populate information from one platform to another, making the process much more efficient.
IR information is fed into our calculator to help you determine your (or your client’s) tax position as quickly as possible.
Kathleen Payne, Partnerships Director at TMNZ, says:
“Following IR integration, all the data you need for your calculations goes straight onto our dashboard. All you have to do is put in the current year’s position that IR might not know yet, and everything is calculated without further data entry.”
Accountants can obtain client consent (if they don’t already have it from their engagement letter) and the integration process without leaving our platform. There’s no need for third-party software, and it’s ready at the click of a button. Once an accountant authenticates their client list through MyIR, a digital consent form is sent to the taxpayer. After they sign digitally, IR integration is ready to go.
If clients need any assistance with our direct IR integration, then TMNZ's friendly support team is on hand to help. And you can find out more about IR integration here.
Taxlab integration
Our systems are also fully integrated with Taxlab, the cloud-based tax software system designed specifically for New Zealand accountants.
Taxlab integration is easy to set up and use. Once you’ve completed the process, TMNZ transactions will appear on the Taxlab platform. Clients no longer need to use different systems to calculate their tax position.
“Accountants will get a complete picture of all TMNZ transactions sitting against their clients’ tax year,” Kathleen says.
Like IR integration, the setup couldn’t be simpler:
- log in to Taxlab, go to ‘Settings’, and add TMNZ as a connection
- you’ll then be directed to TMNZ to log in and confirm
- from there, you’ll be able to view TMNZ tax pooling information, including a full history of purchases, deposits, transfers, and tax payments.
Integration with Taxlab reduces the time and effort spent sharing information across the two platforms, giving tax agents even more time for their valuable client work.
Group Optimiser
If you’re a busy accountant in public practice looking to manage the tax year for groups of clients, TMNZ’s Group Optimiser tool is tailor-made for you.
This innovative feature enables accountants to calculate the position of several taxpayers and create multiple transactions at once.
Used alongside IR integration, Group Optimiser can make tax calculations even simpler.
Kathleen adds:
“Instead of having to prepare spreadsheets for each member in a group and then decide who has overpaid or underpaid tax, agents can use our calculator to enter a small amount of information. Then, at the click of a button, Group Optimiser calculates how to use the tax across the group in the most effective way.”
Group Optimser is ready and waiting on the TMNZ dashboard. All you need to do is log in.
Upcoming Deadlines
The Upcoming Deadlines function on the TMNZ dashboard is another of our top tech features.
For accountants managing several tax pooling clients, the Upcoming Deadlines feature can be used to track taxpayers ahead of key dates.
Offering total visibility over client tax positions as deadlines approach, the tool suggests prompts and actions to finalise the year.
“It also gives accountants a control list to work through their clients and ensure everything has been finalised,” Kathleen says. “It’s a workflow and control function and will remind advisers about everything they need to do for their clients.”
Automated Tax Swaps
TMNZ’s automated Tax Swaps is our latest dashboard feature, enabling clients to get instant quotes and process swaps below the threshold*.
Tax Swaps allow clients to even out their provisional tax payments if they have overpaid on one date and underpaid on another, saving on IR interest costs.
With our automated Tax Swap service, clients will benefit from faster, more efficient processing
The best part? The Tax Swap function is DIY.
“It’s a self-service system,” Kathleen explains. “If a client knows the swap they want to do, our system will automatically say, ‘Yes, you can do it, and this is the interest you’ll get’. You won’t have to interact with us at TMNZ. You can do-it-yourself.”
“It’s super efficient,” she adds. “Clients will have certainty of the outcome, they’ll know how much interest they’ll have to pay, or what they can earn, in an instant.
“At TMNZ, we’re all about flexibility, and empowering our customers to make decisions at a time that suits them.”
Automated Tax Swaps launched recently, following our pilot with TMNZ's Early Adopter community in April.
Become an Early Adopter
Are you part of TMNZ’s Early Adopter community, who gets first access to all our latest tech features?
Early Adopters enjoy the benefits of our new products and enhancements before anyone else, with support and training to help you make the most of new tools.
As an Early Adopter, you can share feedback and experiences to help us develop the best tech possible for accountants and clients.
“We love working with people to create the best tax solutions possible,” Kathleen adds. “Our Early Adopters are highly motivated, creative people who want to help us get even better.”
If you’re a tech savvy tax pooling user in an accounting firm, become an Early Adopter in a few simple steps:
- login to your dashboard
- Select your firm
- select ‘Early Adopter Programme’, from the left-hand menu
- review and accept the Terms and Conditions presented
- click the ‘Sign up’ button.
To learn more about TMNZ’s latest tech developments, head to our Innovative Tax Technology page or contact our support team today.
*the threshold is subject to change depending on market conditions.
Missed your latest provisional tax payment? How you can find relief
If you own a business, you’re probably familiar with paying provisional tax. Which means you’re also familiar with its inflexibility, and the penalties and interest that accumulate if you miss a provisional tax due date.
The problem with this model is how it affects your cashflow. You need money to pay staff, cover operational expenses, and invest in growth initiatives, yet it’s tied up in saving for tax time. Or worse yet, in shelling out for Inland Revenue (IR) interest and penalties on late payments.
No matter which camp you’re in, there is relief and it’s called tax pooling.
If you own a business, then you can benefit from tax pooling. Let us explain how.
First, what happens if I miss my provisional tax payment?
If you’ve paid taxes late or haven’t paid enough by the provisional tax due date, IR may charge penalties or interest on your unpaid amount as follows:
- A 1% late payment penalty is charged on the day after the due date
- An additional 4% penalty is charged seven days after the due date — including late payment penalties (LPP)
- UOMI may be charged from the day after the due date – UOMI will be charged daily until you have paid your total tax amount, including late payment penalties and any accrued interest.
What is tax pooling?
Tax pooling is unique to Aotearoa, with TMNZ being the first and largest tax pooling business. Essentially it allows tax paying businesses to pool their provisional tax payments in an account held by a registered tax pooling intermediary like TMNZ. This way, we offset one business’ underpayments by another’s overpayments. Think of it as business helping business!
Because we’re able to backpay your unpaid tax, it is no longer considered a ‘late payment.’ Meaning you avoid the IR penalties and fees on any missed tax payments.
With TMNZ, you have the flexibility to make a one-off payment or set up a regular instalment arrangement, giving you up to 13 months to pay your provisional tax. Additionally, if you've missed your terminal tax date, TMNZ can still help reduce interest costs and eliminate late payment penalties.
How about for historic payments from IR reassessment notices?
TMNZ can also assist taxpayers with historic income tax payments and other tax types such as GST and PAYE if you receive a notice of reassessment from IR. You have 60 days from the date the IR issues this notice to use tax pooling.
What’s the catch?
Paying provisional tax through a tax pooling intermediary such as TMNZ lets you pay what you owe at a time in the future that better suits your business, or take advantage of instalments to avoid the provisional tax late payment penalty.
There is some interest to pay – but this is much lower than IR's interest on tax paid late or what you will incur if you use your business overdraft or get an unsecured loan. Tax pooling wipes the late payment penalties.
All you have to do is tell the tax pooling provider the amount of tax that is due and when or how you would like to pay it. They take care of the rest and even notify IR of your arrangement. Easy-peasy.
Save yourself the tax trouble. Find out more.
If you've missed your provisional tax payment or are struggling to meet your tax obligations, you’re not out of luck.
TMNZ can help ease the financial strain of late payment penalties and provide much-needed cashflow relief. Contact your accountant or tax agent and let them know you want to pay your missed or underpaid provisional tax using TMNZ tax pooling. Or get in touch with us directly to explore your options and take control of your tax payments.
Don't let a late payment penalty derail your business. With tax pooling from TMNZ, you can navigate the challenges of tax season with confidence and peace of mind.
Contact our team to take advantage of tax pooling today.
TMNZ Board announces new Chief Executive
TMNZ is thrilled to announce the appointment of Matt Edwards as CEO, effective 1 May 2024.
Matt joins TMNZ following 16 years of strategic leadership and entrepreneurial experience, working in the FinTech sector in the United Kingdom and across Europe.
The appointment signals the next chapter in TMNZ’s journey, as the purpose-led tax pooling originators and market leaders look to help more New Zealand businesses, in exciting new ways.
Board Director and TMNZ Founder Ian Kuperus said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Matt to TMNZ. Matt is extremely well regarded overseas for his senior leadership of people, strategy, technology, innovation and product capability areas. Now our New Zealand business, and our customers, will benefit from this deep experience.”
Matt’s background shows that he is a growth specialist, with a track record of driving businesses forward, developing high-performance teams and bringing transformational change to businesses looking to take the next step.
New CEO Matt said:
“TMNZ has developed an enviable reputation as an industry leader in tax pooling services. I believe the business is primed and ready to take the next step, by changing up how we deliver our current market offering and better serving our customers' needs in a dynamic FinTech world. I am very excited about the opportunity to drive this vision."
The appointment follows news of former CEO Chris Cunniffe retiring from his position in January 2024, but continuing in an advisory capacity to support a smooth leadership transition. The TMNZ Board personally thanked Chris for 12 fantastic years of leadership. The Board also thanked Amanda Thorpe, for guiding the business through the transition period in her role as Acting CEO.
Under Matt’s leadership, TMNZ remains committed to building on its successes and delivering the best client experience, as well as continuing to donate its profits to Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation for a restored and thriving New Zealand.
For queries please contact TMNZ Brand and Marketing Director at charlotte.tremewan@tmnz.co.nz
AUT Living Labs - Impact Story
“In the face of mounting environmental and climate crises, education has a key role to play in developing and sharing solutions that learn from and work with nature. Universities must adapt and innovate to respond to these challenges, to create new learning experiences and new ways to make research relevant for local communities. The AUT Living Labs grew out of a desire to radically rethink the roles and responsibilities of research and learning.”
Dr David Hall, Principal Investigator, AUT Living Labs
Planting a seed is but one step in growing a tree. Beyond sunlight and soil, a sapling requires tending and protection to grow.
This lesson in nurture can be applied to both trees and students at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) Living Labs, as the programme fosters student learning, establishes meaningful partnerships and empowers young people with practical skills for climate action.
Living Laboratories is an AUT programme born from the vision of climate change policy researcher Dr David Hall, Prof Hannah Buckley and Assoc Prof Brad Case and taught by project-lead Jeff Silby. Established to see rangatahi nurture and grow a vision for a restored Aotearoa, the Learning from Nature initiative — as a part of their Living Labs programme — gives school students and staff the opportunity to undertake research while working with mana whenua on restoration projects.
Established in 2019, the programme transforms former agricultural sites into vibrant “Living Labs” that combine learning and meaningful restoration work — such as planting trees, monitoring growth, measuring the impact of weather patterns and learning about the different types of native plants that form a part of the unique ecosystems of Aotearoa. Their first site on Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei land in Pourewa serves as an outdoor classroom that connects people to nature by interweaving ecological science and mātauranga Māori.
With support from Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation (funded by TMNZ), the Learning from Nature initiative aims to share knowledge not only about restoring ecological sites, but also to foster a deeper connection to the land. This shift from ‘living labs’ to ‘living classrooms’ will support students to become active, informed, and environmentally conscious citizens.
“For secondary school students, this is an opportunity for work experience, career development and transferrable skills – from simple skills of using a tape measure to using sophisticated tools like GIS integrated mapping. For younger students, the opportunity is to spark curiosity and passion for native species, to create exposure to our natural environment, and to increase familiarity with the mātauranga of our iwi and hapū partners.”
Jeff Silby, Project Lead and Teacher, AUT Living Labs
The project is also deepening the research and evidence base for Aotearoa-specific Nature-Based Solutions. With hands-in-the-soil experiments, they’re investigating how to restore native forests in a fast, cost-effective and risk-free way. This research directly addresses the objectives outlined in the New Zealand Government’s 2022 Emissions Reduction Plan and National Adaptation Plan, which highlight the importance of Nature-Based Solutions in protecting, restoring, managing and creating native ecosystems.
The Learning from Nature initiative also plays a crucial role in preparing students for the growing restoration economy. By offering education in Nature-Based Solutions, it equips students for careers in areas of restoration and regeneration. This will meet increasing demand for professional restoration and landscape design, as well as enhance the impact of voluntary and community-led restoration.
With start-up funding from Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation, Jeff and the Living Labs team were able to extend the programme’s reach to primary and secondary schools, providing eco-educational experiences for over 650 students, 53 teachers and support staff, as well as 32 parent/community helpers. There is also ongoing development of an Educators’ Toolkit to extend programme learnings nation-wide.
AUT Living Labs represents a bold vision for the intersection of education and environmental stewardship. Catalysed by the support from Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation, the programme’s Learning from Nature initiative continues to expand its reach and impact, having well surpassed their Year One target of 500 educational experiences. By integrating hands-on learning experiences, which interweave Western ecological sciences with mātauranga Māori, the programme is cultivating shared knowledge and future collaboration.
Ko te piko o te māhuri, tērā te tupu o te rākau.
The way in which the young sapling is nurtured (bent), determines how the tree will grow.
By the numbers
As at April 2024
650
student participation
9500
trees in the ground
$158k
invested in the first year by Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation
Tax Drawdown: Use your tax payments as a line of credit
Every now and then, businesses can encounter cashflow struggles, whether you have overdue invoices or an unexpected bill to pay. When this happens, it’s typical to ask your bank for help. But did you know there’s an easier, cheaper way?
As a TMNZ customer, you can access funds you have paid into our tax pool at any time. You can draw out your deposits as an affordable line of credit without the headache of a loan application, conversation with a bank, or Inland Revenue (IRD) paperwork and still keep your original tax deposit date.
How it works
Imagine your business is suddenly hit with a big cost and you need some quick cash. By getting in touch with TMNZ, you can access the money you’ve already paid into and held in our pool.
You can draw down the funds on a temporary basis, and our flexibility helps you solve a short-term business challenge in a simple, cost-effective way.
TMNZ Tax Drawdown allows you to use your tax payments in the pool as collateral to take out funds at attractive interest rates. You can request money at any time and it will land in your account within three to five business days (provided AML requirements are met).
The benefits
Tax Drawdown puts you in control. You can borrow money for a minimum of four weeks or a maximum of up to 75 days after your terminal tax date. Once you’ve paid us back, we can continue to hold those tax payments in the pool (which will be available for a future drawdown) or transfer the payments to the IRD to meet your tax liability.
Small businesses and larger companies alike can tap into Tax Drawdown, and there’s no limit to how much of your tax deposit you can withdraw.
If your current tax pool doesn’t do drawdowns, fear not. You can transfer your tax pool payments to us and kick-start the process immediately.
While Tax Drawdown is a bit like a line of credit, we don’t charge line fees or establishment fees like the banks.
TMNZ can also offer more competitive interest rates than the banks. Our rates are the same as our finance rates, which are much closer to the cost of a home loan than a small business loan. Interest costs depend on how much money you take out and the duration of your withdrawal and you’re only charged for the period you use the funds.
Kathleen Payne, Director of Strategic Partnerships at TMNZ, says Tax Drawdown can be a business lifeline.
“It’s really useful for businesses that need to make a capital investment, buy stock, or simply position themselves for the rest of the year. People can use our tax pool to their advantage and it’s so easy to do, with interest costs limited to the time they’re using the funds. It’s another working capital option for businesses, particularly in an environment where cashflow is causing a lot of constraints.”
How to use Tax Drawdown
Accessing your money is a painless process. Get in touch with us or ask your tax adviser to call or email our team.
Kathleen says Tax Drawdown applications are “relatively simple” and can be made multiple times a year.
“A small amount of information needs to be provided. We ask how much money you need and how long you need it for. We then work out your interest rate, finalise the terms, and get it signed.”
Kathleen says Tax Drawdown can help businesses and the New Zealand economy by freeing up money for investment and growth.
“If you think about what businesses use the funds for, it’s additional spending in the economy. Tax Drawdown enables people to use money at a reasonable cost to make capital investments, investments in staff, or meet a market challenge.
“All of these things help businesses survive and thrive, and it has a circularity for the whole economy,” she says. “It’s money going back into the business community while helping companies meet their tax liability. So everyone’s a winner.”
In need of flexible, affordable financing? Contact our team to take advantage of Tax Drawdown today.
TMNZ leadership update, January 2024
After 12 years successfully leading and growing Tax Management New Zealand (TMNZ), Chris Cunniffe has announced he will be retiring from his position and leaving the business in 2024.
While Chris will step down as CEO on 31 January, he will continue to support TMNZ in an advisory capacity, ensuring a smooth transition to TMNZ’s next Chief Executive.
Board Director and TMNZ Founder Ian Kuperus personally recognised Chris for his outstanding service:
"Chris has made a significant contribution to TMNZ, growing our purpose-led tax pooling business from seven people in 2011 to over 70 today, helping hundreds of thousands of taxpayers across New Zealand. Chris has shown an unwavering commitment to his team, clients and communities, through Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation."
The Board has appointed current TMNZ Head of Transformation and People, Amanda Thorpe as Acting CEO, effective 1 February 2024.
“Amanda brings senior leadership experience in transformation, culture and high-performance, here in Aotearoa and overseas. We’re fortunate that Amanda, as Acting CEO, is well positioned to support the business through the next period of change.” says Ian.
Amanda will work closely with the TMNZ Leadership Team including Acting Chief Operating Officer, Matt Rama who prior to TMNZ managed another tax pooling business.
As TMNZ looks to the future, the business remains committed to continuing to build on its successes and delivering the best people and client experience, as well as continuing to donate its profits to Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation for a restored New Zealand.
The TMNZ Board has begun the recruitment process for a permanent CEO and once complete, new leadership will be communicated through TMNZ channels.
For queries please contact TMNZ Brand and Marketing Director, at charlotte.tremewan@tmnz.co.nz