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Terra Kuwano has opened Small Business Accounting (SBA) in Warkworth to help small business owners keep track of their finances.
Terra was born in Osaka, Japan and worked in central Tokyo’s bustling centre of commerce. Her daily commute from Yokohama into the CBD was very different from her drive to Warkworth from her home in Silverdale.
“It would take me 90 minutes in very crowded buses and trains. Tokyo is huge – life there is very competitive.”
Before coming to New Zealand nine years ago, Terra provided financial advice for start-up companies in the tech industries. The companies Terra worked with varied from sophisticated software solutions to high-end telecommunications.
“The people that we helped get started were great engineers and professionals, but they had no financial expertise. I helped them get their patents off the ground and managed the daily operations.”
When Terra had her son, Joe, nine years ago, she wanted to immigrate with her husband. After checking out Australia, Canada and the US, she settled on New Zealand as the best place to bring up her son.
She decided to set up her business in Warkworth after supporting some exchange students here. She liked the small town feel and the friendly people.
Terra says the taxation system in Japan is very different than NZ.
“They pay individual withholding tax at 20 per cent, regardless of their income. You don’t particularly need to file a return or make adjustments. Some wealthy people in Japan use this system to their advantage.”
Terra holds an MBA and has a Graduate Diploma in professional accounting. SBA uses the sophisticated accounting software Xero. It links directly with the bank and automatically updates accounting records when a card is used. The programme also has the ability to recognise similar transactions and categorise them for the correct expense. Terra believes the convenience of the software will help her clients keep their accounting fees to a minimum.
Local Matters Business Directory: Small Business Accounting (SBA) Warkworth
