The Team

SJ Weston Ltd is owned and operated by Sam Weston. Sam is joined by his wife Tris Weston and accountant Janine Slement.

I grew up on a sheep and beef farm, having the rural lifestyle many New Zealanders can identify with.  It is these beginnings which motivated me to become an accountant.  I wanted that financial understanding of what was happening year-to-year, to enable me to make sound decisions for the farming business when my parents retired and I took over the reins.

 

After completing my Bachelor of Business Studies degree at Massey University, I worked for a Chartered Accountancy practice in Feilding - Coopers & Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers). During my 4 years there I completed my professional exams to become a qualified Chartered Accountant, before heading overseas on my ‘OE’.

 

While working in London and Dublin I had the fantastic opportunity of working for a number of varied businesses including a couple of large multi-national companies. I gained invaluable knowledge and had a great experience, before returning to New Zealand and returning to the farm.

 

Enter SJ Weston Ltd, Rural Chartered Accountants.  We opened in 2005 and are located in my hometown of Hunterville in the Rangitikei, a small but thriving town with a great community behind it.  I am focused on delivering an efficient client-focused service, to both rural and urban clients.

 

My wife and I also run the family sheep and beef farm comprising 980 acres of easy hill country just north of Hunterville.

 

I am married and have 3 terrific children (most of the time!) and my wife and I are enjoying watching them grow up on the farm, sharing with them the experiences farm life brings.

 

 

I'm a qualified primary school teacher and regularly undertake relief days at Hunterville School where our children attend.  I also work on the family farm with Sam and throughout August to October take on the task of rearing some 450-500 calves, something I look forward to, with a mix of excitement and trepidation!

I'm also Mum and taxi-driver to the 3 kids, ferrying them around to various extra-curricular activities and coaching a team or two when needed.  I'm the current President of the Home & School Association and am on a couple of other sporting and community committees.

I started formally working in the office alongside Sam in 2016 and am responsible for the day to day running of the office and all this entails.  I am trained in MYOB payroll and this is my main focus, processing our clients’ payroll and their monthly PAYE.

 

I joined SJ Weston Ltd in January 2017 when I moved into the area from Tauranga with my fiancé, Oliver Gordon. The move was driven by my partner’s transition into taking over his family’s sheep and beef farm, located outside of Taihape.  The opportunity to work with Sam and Tris part time has created the perfect farm life / work balance.

In Tauranga, I worked for over 3 years at KPMG in the audit department, with the majority of my clients being from within the agricultural sector. Before Tauranga, I worked for a year at KPMG in Tampa, Florida where my family still live. I received my Bachelor of Science (Accounting) degree from the University of Florida and my Master of Accounting degree from Florida State University. I am a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) in New Zealand.

I'm excited to be a part of the SJ Weston team and meet clients in the local community.