There’s a joke about bean counters that goes like this: How do you know when an accountant is on holiday? He doesn’t wear a tie and comes in after 8am.
It so accurately describes local businessman Ron Longstaff who, having notched up close to half a century in business as a chartered accountant, is supposed to have his feet up now in retirement.
Instead, having formally retired on July 31, he somehow is still at the Ridge Road offices of Ron Longstaff & Co some weeks later.
Wrapping things up, he explains. Trusts are tricky instruments and long-time clients continue to tap into his 50-odd years in the business.
He and wife Lynette explain, grinning, that Ron is definitely winding things up.
“We’re going on holiday to the bach in Whangamata,” she says.
“It would be nice to say we can stay for another day, or even two.”
Their weekends in the gorgeous Coromandel hotspot has always been characterised by the non-negotiable pulling up of stumps on a Sunday in order to get the office cranking early on a Monday.
He might even have time to read more and muck about in the garden. You get the feeling he might struggle to relax.
From the outset he’s been keeping very busy indeed. He scouted out Howick as an additional place of business in the 1970s.
Back in the day, he says, chartered accountants were not allowed to advertise [nor were lawyers he adds]. He already had a bustling office in Otara.
“The reasoning was to break into two different communities,” he says.
“It was a very successful and thriving business community in Auckland.” After around three years it was just too busy. “I was told initially that I’d have enough clients in Howick,” Longstaff recalls.
“I still have a few Otara clients from the old days though.”
Those were busy times for the young couple as they had children Jo who was four at the time [Jo works for the family business too] and Craig who was two.
“They were born and bred here,” he says.
He initially had a very small office upstairs in Cook Street where financial accounts were prepared on a typewriter.
They eventually outgrew that office and moved to an upstairs spot in Rices Mall and became computerised in the process.
In 2000, Ron Longstaff & Co relocated to Ridge Road, repurposing a house to serve as the new office. It’s still humming today.
And it is clearly a good place to work. Chartered accountant Noeline Hatley has been with the firm for 35 years. Lynette has been there for 30 years.
Ridge Road has proven to be a great decision – that, and listening to the signwriter who very strongly suggested the nature of the business was more important than the name of the person running it.
Longstaff agreed and the words Chartered Accountant could be spotted quite easily some distance down the road.
“The office is in a really good location,” says Longstaff. “We get at least one [walk-in] client a week.”
This fortifies a particularly loyal client base with many of those early accounts having now morphed into third generation customers.
“That’s the enjoyment of this area, it’s like a small country practice,” says Longstaff.
As for the forthcoming General Election, in which various polls suggest a National/ACT coalition leading the country, Longstaff has seen it all before.
“Next year [post-election] there’s likely to be a lot of change when we have a change of Government which will mean adjusting to whatever the legislation of the day becomes,” he says.
“It’s probably the hardest part of the job…staying on top of legislation.
“It will take 20-30 hours per individual to keep up with continuing education.”
It comes with the job. In 2016, he was presented with a milestone award for 40 years of service as a chartered accountant in Howick.
He was honoured by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand at a high tea ceremony at the Heritage Hotel in the Auckland CBD.
The organisation’s Auckland regional manager, Mandy Brooker, said at the time: “Ron and his team have served Howick for 40 years.
They are a great example of a community-focused business which not only serves local enterprises, but is active in local organisations.”
Meanwhile, local firm Drumm Nevatt & Associates Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors (DNA) has acquired the business.
“After an illustrious career spanning four decades, esteemed chartered accountant Ron Longstaff has officially announced his retirement, leaving behind a legacy of exceptional service to his clients,” DNA says.
“He has tirelessly served local Howick businesses and grown the Ron Longstaff & Co Chartered Accountants business from the ground up.
“Ron, being a local Howick resident, has meant he has become a well-known businessman through the years, impacting many businesses and families.
“Drumm Nevatt and Associates wishes Mr Longstaff a well-deserved and fulfilling retirement, while also expressing our gratitude for his trust in passing on his valued clientele to our care.”
