11th Annual One Stop Update for the Accountant in the Public Sector

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11th Annual One Stop Update for the Accountant in the Public Sector

About

With your busy schedule, this conference is your annual ONE STOP update on all the financial, legal and public sector developments you need to know about in your role. Add more than 12 CPD hours to your bottom line in one fell swoop while networking with your peers!

Featuring One Stop Updates on IFRS, Employment Law Legislation, Tax and the Economy.
Facilitated by leading NZ experts from Grant Thornton, Quigg Partners, Deloitte and Westpac, these sessions allow for in-depth analysis of the latest developments and future projections, and gives you a unique opportunity to ask those burning questions on how it will impact on your work.

New in 2010: To further your professional development and drive results in your work, we have pinpointed the key issues public sector accountants and finance professionals will be facing in 2010:
• Public Sector Project, Procurement and Contracting Processes Update
• Shared services – the way ahead to improve efficiency and reduce costs?
• Improving the bottom line  - getting strategic about sustainability
• Risk Management for the public sector finance function
• Financial decision making: Incorporating key financial considerations and information into business decision making

2 for 1 Special – Register and pay at the same time and the second delegate from the same organisation attends free.
Early  Bird – register and pay before 5pm Friday 5th March and save $300 off the full price

Agenda

Day 1

8.30

Registration and Coffee

9.10

Funding for the public sector – what lies ahead?

A senior representative of Treasury has been invited to address the conference on the future for public sector funding in New Zealand, and the priorities and expectations of the government for public sector entities.

9.40

Public Sector One Stop Economic Update

As the world economy struggles to recover from the impact of recession, this session will examine the economic outlook for NZ and its global trading partners for the year ahead.
• The financial state of the nation and implications for the public sector
• Which direction is the dollar taking?
• Recent trends in government spending

Dominick Stephens, Research Economist, Westpac

10.35

Morning tea

10.55

Public Sector One Stop IFRS Update

The critical update on IFRS developments for accountants in the public sector, this session will give an update of regulatory developments and initiatives.
• How is the public sector coping with the financial reporting requirements?
• What are the practical issues of the new standards?
• Proposed changes to IAS 12 and replacement of IAS 39
• How well is the public sector complying with NZ IFRS?

Mark Hucklesby, National Technical Director, Grant Thornton

11.45

Public Sector Project, Procurement and Contracting Processes Update

• Current good practices/experiences of procurement and contracting
• Sources of knowledge for the good practices
• Emerging good practices and trends
• Good/bad practitioner case studies

Bill Inglis, Principal - Specialist Assurance Services, Audit New Zealand

12.45

Lunch

1.45

Shared services – the way ahead to improve efficiency and reduce costs?

Shared services helps government departments be more client-centered, outcome-oriented and accountable, by allowing them to focus on their core responsibilities and to operate more efficiently. Within a year of starting operations, the Queensland whole-of-government shared services saved AU$10 million, despite the fact that no savings were even expected for the first year. This session will examine the pros and cons of setting up a shared services programme, and the challenges that must be overcome.
• Duplication of services – avoiding inefficiencies
• Economies of scale – effect on supply chain
• Should the emphasis be on cost cutting or improving service delivery?
• Understanding the culture change necessary to implement shared services
• Managing the workforce issues

Duncan Scott, Director – Assurance, PricewaterhouseCoopers

2.35

Improving the bottom line: Getting strategic about sustainability

The public sector plays a vital role in moving New Zealand towards a development trajectory that is more sustainable across the quadruple bottom line. Getting this right will not only deliver better long-term value to taxpayers and ratepayers, but will also deliver savings by using resources more efficiently, more effectively and for greater strategic pay-off. This presentation will look at a number of real public sector examples to show:
• That sustainability is all about people and value for money
• How to get strategic about achieving sustainability goals with financial benefits
• How a smart approach to sustainable development enhances value while saving money

Simon Harvey, Executive Director, The Natural Step

3.15

Afternoon tea

3.30

Non-financial performance reporting in the public sector

Accountability documents ensure that government departments and other state sector entities can be held accountable to Parliament and the public, and that local authorities and their controlled entities can be held accountable to local communities. This session will examine the essential components of effective reporting for public sector organisations
• Linking performance targets to stated objectives
• The use and quality of performance targets
• Elements of non-financial performance
• Performance measures and performance targets
• Outcomes monitoring

4.10

Mini Skills Workshop: Influencing and networking in today’s public sector work environment (Mini Workshop)

Excellent networking and influencing skills are especially crucial for managers in public sector organisations. The political environment, your network of stakeholders and competing priorities of people – all call for a high level of skills in influencing and effective communication.
• What are the barriers to influencing and networking and what to do about them
• Building and maintaining your networks – from stakeholders to your career influencers
• Real life networking techniques for introverts and extroverts
• A range of influencing techniques for different types of people

Lee Wilkinson, Director, Communicate Consultants

5.15

Summary remarks from the Chair

5.20

Networking drinks

Day 2

9.00

Welcome back from the Chair

Dr Don Gilling, Independent Economic Researcher

9.10

Public Sector One Stop Tax Update

This vital update will guide you through the minefield of our tax legislation, giving practical advice and guidance to aid compliance.
• Latest tax legislation
• Changes to ACC contributions and tax implications
• Recent tax cases
• KiwiSaver
• Allowances, redundancy payments and FBT

Andrew Babbage, Partner, Deloitte

10.00

Merging and partnering with asset management

Concepts of jointly providing services is increasingly as a mechanism for obtaining efficiencies in the delivery of public sector services. However, the challenge with assets is about fairness and equity. This system will discuss issues of margining asset management protocols and consider options for successfully partnering with asset management.

Ian Reid, Partner, Urban Economic Strategies

10.40

Morning tea

11.00

Public Sector One Stop Employment Law update

The Employment Law landscape is constantly evolving. This update offers practical and current advice on key areas that affect the public sector. This interactive session will give you the opportunity to have your questions answered and get the latest on recent and impending legislation changes that may affect your organisation. The update will include:
• Common employment law mistakes to avoid
• Restructuring and redundancy in the current economic climate
• The Holidays Act review
• Meal breaks and compensation
• Update on recent case law of interest
• Changes to ACC
Michael Quigg, Partner, Quigg Partners
Simon Martin, Solicitor, Quigg Partners

12.15

Lunch

1.00

Risk Management for the public sector finance function

Effective risk management can help avoid service delivery failures, improve efficiency and drive better governance. A key challenge is the assessment of risks, without which effective risk management and achievement of good governance becomes difficult or even impossible.
This session will examine how to manage risk effectively to help
your organisation:
• Achieve the outcomes set out in your Statement of Intent – the organisational objectives
• Manage relevant public expectations for risk and risk management
• Develop an organisation-wide risk management framework
• achieve good risk governance.

Chris Peace, Director, Risk Management

1.45

Financial decision making: Incorporating key financial considerations and information into business decision making

In order to make decisions that improve efficiency and stakeholder value, executives and managers need a proven model for using strategic & financial information, concepts and tools. This session will explore:
• Stakeholder value and the factors that drive it for your organisation
• The key financial factors to consider in all business decisions
• Budgeting and forecasting in challenging financial times
• How to evaluate financial data included in decision proposals
• How to make sure all major financial risks are considered

Jeff Jackson, Managing Director, De Winter International Limited

2.30

Afternoon tea

2.45

Mini Skills Workshop: Mastering the ‘Difficult Conversation’ (Mini Workshop)

One of your team is not delivering on time, a colleague is making unreasonable demands, your boss is constantly shifting the goal posts. You have dropped some hints and tried to sort things out but nothing has changed. You know you have to have some difficult conversations but your professional training never covered this. This session may help.
• Applying the Colt .45 test
• Avoiding the ‘Creeping Intelligence’ trap
• Keeping people out of the Blame Game
• Maintaining control of the conversation
• Managing excuse-making and aggression
• Reverse psychology techniques to find out what is really going on
• Using the Seven Step problem solving strategy

Keith McGregor, Director, Personnel Psychology NZ Ltd

4.00

Procurement updates and case studies Obtaining Value for Money

• Outcomes from the Government’s reform of procurement policy and practice, and proposed next steps
• Update on the OAG’s 2008 best practice guidance on procurement
• The OAG’s recent report regarding the procurement of school buses
• Conflicts of interest in procurement: The position after Diagnostic Medlabs

Andrew Royle, Partner, Simpson Grierson

Sponsors

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