Wairarapa

Brett Wooffindin

Brett is a Chartered Accountant with deep rural insight and broad commercial experience, shaped by a career that spans farm life, Big Four training, investment banking and senior roles with NZX-listed companies. Raised on a sheep farm in South Canterbury, he understands the realities of rural business and the pressures farmers face.

A Lincoln University graduate and Chartered Accountant since 2007, Brett began his career in Wellington before heading to London, where he refined his skills in performance improvement and change management. That mix of rural grounding and international experience gives him a unique perspective when supporting clients through growth, transition and complexity.

Since 2015, Brett has led Sidekick’s cloud-based solutions team, specialising in Xero + Figured, financial advisory, benchmarking and strategic planning across dairy, sheep & beef, arable and viticulture. He also advises clients in property, hospitality and professional services, bringing clarity, structure and practical direction to every engagement.

Known for his steady, solutions-focused approach, Brett works closely with clients to help them plan for the future and make confident, well-informed decisions. He’s committed to empowering rural business owners with the tools and insights they need to succeed.

Outside work, Brett serves on the WBS board and enjoys rugby, cricket, golf, running and travel – bringing the same curiosity, discipline and team mindset that shapes his approach to business.

Jennifer Martin

Jennifer grew up in the Wairarapa and has spent most of her life there. She earned a BCA in Accounting, Economics, and Commercial Law from Victoria University and became a Chartered Accountant in 2011.

She’s worked in various roles for firms in Wellington and the Wairarapa before joining Lawson Avery in August 2018 as our cloud-based specialist. Jennifer handles products like Xero, Figured, Cash Manager Focus, Spotlight Reporting, Workflow Max, and MYOB Essentials.

On top of that, she’s got hands-on business experience from helping run a family business for the past eight years. Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys playing netball and squash, hitting the gym, and playing card games like Canasta and Samba.

Rob Royle

Rob was born and raised in Wainuiomata before moving to the Wairarapa in 2015 with his wife and two young boys.

Rob studied at Victoria University completing a BCA and post-Graduate Diploma in Accounting before qualifying as Chartered Accountant in 2018.

Prior to joining Lawson Avery in 2018, Rob had worked at another local accounting firm and worked in the finance team at The Salvation Army.

When Rob isn’t in the office or chasing his kids around, it’s likely he’ll be out pig hunting with his dogs.

Jaimi Stewart

Jaimi was born and raised in the Wairarapa. She achieved her Bachelor of Accountancy from Massey University and in 2020 qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

Prior to joining Lawson Avery in 2021, Jaimi worked at another local accounting firm for five years.

Out of the office Jaimi loves playing and watching sport, particularly hockey and spending time with friends and family.

Svetlana Dumanovskaya

Svetlana was born in Crimea, Ukraine and at the age of 9 moved over to New Zealand with her family becoming a local here in the Wairarapa.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Accountancy through Massey in 2019 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2021.

Prior to coming onboard with Lawson Avery, Svetlana has worked at other CA practices over the last 10 years. She has a passion for the Dairy Industry and is involved in the Dairy Industry Awards as the Regional Manager.

In her spare time she can be found at the local F45 gym, helping out her partner with their contract milking business or on their lifestyle property in Carterton with their dog, and soon to be little helper.

Jhellaica Manjares

Jhellaica, also known as Laica, was born in the Philippines and moved to Masterton in 2013 to join her husband who’s been an apiarist in Wairarapa for 15 years now.

She is a Certified Public Accountant abroad and is currently doing her last CAANZ module to become a fully qualified Chartered Accountant.

She has had several exciting roles overseas including being an auditor at PwC and an accountant at IBM. Prior to joining Lawson Avery, she was juggling her role as a Senior Finance Officer in Wellington, and study towards becoming a Chartered Accountant.

Laica is also a mum of two beautiful kids – Eunice and Lucas.

Hiona Haeata

Hiona was born and raised in the Wairarapa and spent 10 years living in Australia. She moved home in 2022 to be closer to family.

She completed her certificate level 4 in accounting and bookkeeping, then completed her registration as a BAS Agent, and is now currently working towards her bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Prior to coming on board with Lawson Avery Hiona worked at another CA Practice in the Gold Coast
as a bookkeeper, developing her skills she grew a passion for accounting.

Out of the office Hiona loves spending time with her daughter and family and looks forward to
exploring the beautiful outdoors and scenery that she missed.

Robyn Morgan

Robyn was born and raised in the Wairarapa.  Prior to joining Lawson Avery she worked at another local accounting firm for ten years. In 2022 she qualified as an Accounting Techinician.

Out of the office along with her husband she’s kept busy with their two kids, enjoying a good coffee, a gluten free scone and podcast. 

Neha Patel

Neha obtained her Bachelor of Commerce in 2015 and her Master of Commerce in 2017 from India.

She is currently pursuing a Graduate Diploma in commerce with a major in Taxation at Victoria University of Wellington to gain knowledge about NZ business and tax law.  She is also a Provisional CAANZ member.

Prior to joining Lawson Avery, Neha worked in the New Zealand banking sector. She has developed excellent communication skills and is always eager to try new approaches.

Neha was born and raised in India and moved to Masterton in 2020 to join her kiwi husband who works locally as a pharmacist.

In her free time, she enjoys drawing, painting, and spending time with her family.

Nicole Sim

Nicole was born and raised in the Wairarapa, growing up on numerous dairy farms across the region and developing a love for the outdoors and animals.

Working in a GP Practice while commuting to Upper Hutt for the past 5 years, Nicole has developed a fine eye for detail and is looking forward to being closer to home and all that this has to offer.

You can often find Nicole out walking and exploring the great outdoors of the Wairarapa with her fur baby, whipping up some baking in the kitchen, and spending time with family and friends.

Helen Pauley

Helen is a Marlburian who has travelled the world and landed back here. Having a varied work life from managing a regional office for a multi-national advertising firm, owning a hospitality business to practice management of a medical practice, Helen brings a bucket load of skills. Communication is her flag ship skill and she enjoys problem solving. Resourceful and fun, pretty much sums her up.

She is married to Gary, who is a Business Advisor and in their spare time they love to travel to family & friends, experience the great outdoors and discovering new recipes and flavours, accompanied by a glass of fine wine.

Ric Thorpe

Ric Thorpe is one of the owners of Sidekick Chartered Accountancy Group. Ric is one of the leads in the 20-strong Christchurch team, as well as assisting the Sidekick group across the South Island, which now has offices in six locations and over 50 team members (with an additional 15+ overseas). Ric has been instrumental in fostering the incredible family-like team culture at Sidekick and helping grow the business by spreading the word of Fixed-Fee, Modern Accountancy across the country. Ric has also held roles in governance and strategy for not-for-profit organisations, membership organisations such as the Christchurch Business Club, as well as within the Sidekick Group.

Traditionally, Ric has been at the front end of Sidekick as the sales expert, building referral networks and solution partners across many industries. Since 2020, Ric has been predominantly Christchurch-based (which can largely be attributed to the Covid-19 situation). Now, as CEO, Ric’s role is consulting to small and medium businesses, working with clients to help them grow and driving the growth of Sidekick across the country with new office locations and recruitment!

A key thing for Ric is culture. If you have the right people and they all have a common purpose along with respect and love for one another, your business should thrive!

Steph Holt

Steph is the creative mind behind Sidekick’s brand – making sure everything from marketing campaigns to internal events reflects who we are and what we stand for. With over 15 years of experience in design and strategy, she loves finding fresh, meaningful ways to bring the Sidekick story to life. From shaping how our brand looks and feels to creating moments that connect our team and clients, Steph brings a mix of curiosity, energy, and heart to everything she does.

Outside of work, Steph enjoys spending time with her son Ollie and tending to her ever-growing veggie patch – a creative outlet that balances her busy, design-filled days.

Manoli De Silva

Manoli keeps the team running smoothly, making sure all the day-to-day details are taken care of. She has a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of London and a master’s in international relations from the University of Colombo, she has worked across law firms, UN agencies, and the government sector. Her experience in different environments gives her a strong eye for detail and a knack for keeping things organised and on track.

A massive foodie, Manoli loves cooking and trying out new restaurants. She also enjoys running and staying active, and likes to unwind with a good book and a glass of wine. Most of all, she treasures spending time with her husband and their two young daughters. 

Anna Cochrane

Anna brings a wealth of experience in accounting tech, with a strong focus on FYI and Xero. Having worked closely with firms across New Zealand to implement systems and streamline processes, she’s a go-to expert when it comes to getting the most out of your tech stack.
Anna is passionate about solving problems, improving workflows, and helping teams work smarter. Now based in Timaru to be closer to family, Anna supports Sidekick on a range of internal projects—bringing her trademark energy, insight, and practical know-how to every challenge.