Auditing & Assurance Standards Board
Role and Responsibilities
The New Zealand Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (NZAuASB) has delegated authority from the XRB Board to develop or adopt, and issue auditing and assurance standards, including professional and ethical standards for assurance practitioners.
High quality assurance that gives users confidence about the fair presentation of the information presented in financial reports is vital to the achievement of the XRB’s outcome goal.
The NZAuASB considers the suite of auditing and assurance standards and how they are being applied. It issues standards or guidance if necessary to achieve its strategic objective.
The Board aims to:
- establish auditing and assurance standards that build confidence in New Zealand financial reporting;
- assist entities to compete internationally; and
- enhance entities’ accountability to stakeholders.
Marje Russ - Chair
Marje is a Technical Director of Environment and Sustainable Business at Tonkin & Taylor Ltd, environmental and engineering consultants. She has an extensive background in non-financial assurance and environmental management, including as General Manager, Environmental Certification Services at Telarc New Zealand & International Accreditation New Zealand in the 1990s and various other environmental and sustainable business assurance. She is a Director of Crown Research Institute, Manaaki Whenua and sits on the Audit and Risk Committee. Marje is a member of the New Zealand Planning Institute, the Resource Management Law Association and is a Chartered member of the Institute of Directors.
Board Members
The NZAuASB has up to 10 members, with a focus on diversity of experience and perspective. The members of the NZAuASB are appointed by the XRB and are all part time. They are remunerated in accordance with rates determined by the Remuneration Authority.
John is a Financial Services Audit Partner at KPMG in Auckland. He is the editor of KPMG's Financial Institutions Performance Survey. John is a licensed auditor and his audit experience covers a wide range of commercial sector clients including Banking, Insurance, Funds Management and the Automotive Industry. He has particular experience in financial services auditing and related Reserve Bank and Trustee reporting requirements. John is a member of IOD and a trustee of Breast Cancer Cure.
PhD, FCA, FCPA
David is the Professor of Auditing at the University of Auckland, New Zealand and was previously the head of Department of Accounting and Finance at the University. He is an author of numerous articles in research journals and is a former winner of the Notable Contribution to the Auditing Literature Award.
FCA
Mr Doug Niven FCA was appointed as the full-time Chair and CEO of the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AUASB) for a period of five years with effect from 22 September 2023. He had been Acting Chair since 31 July 2023.
He was previously Chief Accountant of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) where he was responsible for strategy and policy on financial reporting and audit, and complex and technical accounting and audit matters and issues, and external stakeholder liaison. He also had operational responsibility for ASIC’s financial reporting surveillances and audit firm inspections from 2008 to 2021 and continued to have a key role in those programs.
Among other matters, Doug was responsible for developing ASIC’s regulatory guidance on non-IFRS financial information, the operating and financial review, the role of directors in supporting audit quality, impairment guidance for directors and communicating ASIC audit findings to directors.
Doug was a member of Committee 1 of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions on Accounting, Audit and Disclosure (IOSCO C1), the IOSCO Sustainability Technical Review Coordination Group, the IOSCO Sustainability Assurance Working Group, the IOSCO ISSB Protocols Working Group and the International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR).
He was a member of the IFIAR Global Audit Quality Working Group which met with the largest six firms globally to discuss initiatives to improve audit quality. He was also a member of the IOSCO Auditing and Accounting Subcommittees, the IFIAR Board, the IFIAR Global Audit Quality Working Group, the IFIAR Standards Coordination Working Group and the IFIAR Enforcement Working Group, the IFIAR Inspection Survey Task Force and the IFIAR Sustainability Task Force.
He represented IOSCO Committee 1 at the Monitoring Group during the development of the reforms of the international auditing and ethical standard setting arrangements. Doug was a past Chair of the IOSCO Auditing Subcommittee, the IOSCO IFRS Information Sharing Subcommittee and the IFIAR International Cooperation Working Group.
Doug has more than 40 years of experience in financial reporting and audit. He joined ASIC in 1998 and was at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu from 1983 where he audited companies in the financial services sector and other industries.
Richard is a retired partner of Deloitte NZ’s risk advisory practice. He has an extensive background as a risk and assurance professional serving clients across both private and public sectors. He has worked with the senior leadership teams and boards of a wide range of organisations locally and abroad advising on the risk and assurance dimensions of governance, strategy, performance, regulation and change.
Richard is also a member of the Institute of Directors, Institute of Internal Auditors and Director of Accuro Health Insurance NZ.
Todd is the Assistant Auditor-General, Audit Quality at the Office of the Auditor-General. He has more than 20 years’ experience with the Office in technical auditing and accounting roles. Todd is responsible for leading the Office on all audit quality matters, including the Office’s position on auditing, accounting, and performance reporting matters, supporting public sector auditors, and maintaining an effective quality assurance programme over public sector audits.
Todd also has extensive accounting standard setting experience. He was a member of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board from 2018 to 2023. He has also served as a member of the New Zealand Accounting Standards Board, and was a former Director, Accounting Standards at the XRB.
Vasana is a licensed auditor and an Audit Partner at PwC, specialising in the financial services sector. Vasana's audit experience covers a wide range of commercial sector clients in New Zealand and the UK, including insurance, asset management, real estate and finance companies, as well as controls and other assurance engagements.
Audit Technical Reference Group
The Audit Technical Reference Group (ARG) was established to provide feedback to our International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) member and meets prior to each IAASB meeting to consider matters on the upcoming IAASB meeting agenda.
The XRB has invited the following members to be part of the Audit Reference Group (ARG) based on their technical knowledge and experience of auditing.
The current members are:
- Greg Schollum, IAASB Member
- Darby Healey, KPMG
- Helene Wood, KPMG
- Karina Page, BDO
- Nathan Cipperly, PWC
- Jonathan Skilton, PWC
- Troy Florence, PWC
- Scott Tobin, Audit NZ
- Simon Brotherton, EY
- Victoria Turner, Deloitte
- Kerry Price, Grant Thornton
- Belinda Mathers, Toitu
- Adrienne Dempsey, AuditPlus Accounting Services Limited
- Johann van Loggerenberg, PKF Hamilton
- Michael Stewart, PKF Kendons
- Desere Arbuthnot, PKF Goldsmith Fox
NZAuASB Meetings
Access the NZAuASB meeting page here.
Terms of Reference for the New Zealand Auditing and Assurance Standards Board