Campbell Tyson Cooper White Key Personnel

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The relationship you have with your accountant is an important one. Someone who you not only can trust, but someone you can work with, possibly even have something in common with. Feel free to find out more about the team and their background before you make a decision to join us.

To view the key personnel within our organisation click on any of the links below :

• Directors
• Associates
• Client Services Managers
• Practice Manager
• Consultant

Over 80 Years in Business - The History of Campbell Tyson Cooper White

Chapter One - The Beginning (The "Campbell" Side) 

Ernest Dawson Wilkinson commenced practice in Pukekohe on 1 March 1922. He had studied “Practical Bookkeeping” with Hemingway and Robertsons Australasian Correspondence Schools Ltd, and received a Certificate of Proficiency in May 1916. His premises were situated at lower King Street, Pukekohe, in a building then known as “Legal Chambers”. By comparison with modern times, funds involved and fees charged were modest. A copy of the opening journal entries and subsequent transactions makes for interesting reading. He was joined in partnership by a Mr T Felton probably in 1924 or 1925.

In 1926 Mr Malcolm Septimus Campbell was admitted to partnership, and the firm name became Wilkinson and Campbell. Mr Felton retired from the partnership in 1926.

In 1925 an office was opened in Auckland in the Safe Deposit Building in High Street. M S Campbell remained in the Pukekohe office and E D Wilkinson was the Auckland Office Partner. As he then lived in Papatoetoe he was able to conveniently service the affairs of clients in both offices. The Auckland office subsequently moved to the Palmerston Building, corner Queen and Customs Street, and later to Dilworth Building.

Leonard Wilton White was employed in the Auckland office from March 1928 to June 1935 as Chief Clerk. After a period in other employment he moved to Pukekohe and became a Partner in June 1938, the firm thenceforth being known as Wilkinson, Campbell and White.

In 1939 a further Partner was admitted Thomas Gordon Steen, who had joined the firm in 1935 as an office junior. Also in 1939 the practice of Arthur Walter Christmas, an Auckland practitioner, was amalgamated with the firm, whose name now became Wilkinson, Campbell, Christmas and White.

In 1938 the firm vacated the premises in lower King Street, which had become too small, and moved to Knowles Building next door but one to the Post Office (since demolished and now a park). This was a much more spacious suite of rooms where the Partners were able to have separate offices. Mr M S Campbell was the agent for the Auckland Automobile Assn and the NIMU (motor vehicle) Insurance Company. This agency brought many people into the office, no doubt to the enhancement of the accounting practice.

A room was subsequently rented in lower King Street, (prior to the move to 6 Hall Street). This became necessary as the staff increased, and the male clerks worked down there.

The firm carried on as one firm but with separate offices, until 1 January 1953. At this date the Pukekohe Partners M S Campbell and L W White left the firm, by arrangement with the other Partners, to continue the practice in Pukekohe as Campbell White and Co. At this time too Donald Standish Campbell (see Appendix 4) who had been employed as a senior clerk in the Auckland and Pukekohe offices, became a Partner.

With the increase in the size of the practice, larger offices became necessary. In 1955 a section in Hall Street, next to the then Franklin Bakeries Ltd was purchased from Dr A T Begg and an office building was erected by Duncan Bros (Pukekohe Ltd). This building met the requirements of the firm for some time, but two additions at the rear became necessary at later stages as the firm grew.

On 1 April 1958 Graham William Wengdal, who had been employed as a senior clerk, was admitted to the partnership. In October 1965 Mr M S Campbell retired from the firm, the Auckland Automobile Association having opened their own office in Dr Begg’s ex residence in Lodge Street, Pukekohe. Judy McAnally a long time staff member, also left at that time. For some years she had been employed solely on the AA and insurance work, assisting Mr M S Campbell. She took up a position in the new AA office, where her past and local experience was no doubt of great value. The insurance assessor and his secretary also vacated the office at that time. These departures meant that more office space became available to accommodate the growing accounting staff.

Terrence John Harris, who had been employed by the firm as a senior clerk, was admitted to the partnership in 1968.

L W White retired from the firm in 1972 after a period of 34 years as a Partner. Increased staff by 1973, meant that office space was becoming a serious problem. The building had been extended to its limits, and it was decided to open a separate office to be known as the “Number Two office”. This was situated in the “Central Building” on the corner of King and Hall Streets. Stuart McPherson, the senior clerk, and several staff members were transferred to this office. Although it was not as convenient as having all operations under one roof, it took the pressure off the main office. There was a certain amount of to-ing and fro-ing between offices, but in general the No. 2 office was fairly self-sufficient. This office also acted as space for the storage of old records, an increasing problem. The No. 2 office was later further extended and Graham Wengdal shifted over there with his staff. It remained in use until the firm amalgamation and the shift to the present building in December 1981.

Chapter Two - The "Tyson" Side  

Joseph Robertson Tyson commenced practice in Pukekohe on 1 January 1948, in very small office premises in lower King Street, Pukekohe. He had previously been employed by Mervyn J Cooper as senior clerk, and by agreement left to establish his own practice. The practice expanded to the stage where it was necessary to take in a Partner, and in 1954 Maxwell J Milne joined under the firm name of Tyson & Milne. Office premises were taken up in the New Zealand Dairy Company Ltd building in Roulston St, Pukekohe.

Alan Frederick Walker had been practising in Pukekohe in a small way in conjunction with doing accounting work for King Gerrard & Co. Solicitors. In 1959 he was invited to join the partnership of Tyson and Milne and the firm name then became Tyson, Milne and Walker. The premises in the Dairy Company building eventually proved too small for the expanding practice, and a move was made to new offices in Legg’s building in Upper King Street. About this time the accounting firm of Myers & Hooper wanted to discontinue practising, and their clients were absorbed by Tyson Milne and Walker, Hooper joined the Ministry and Emmett Myers stayed on for six months to help phase in.

After some years in Leggs building, the opportunity arose to purchase the ASB building at the top of King Street, Pukekohe. This was substantially more spacious than any previous offices. The Partners’ rooms were upstairs, and downstairs there was ample room for staff and clients’ reception.

After some time in this building, a disastrous fire occurred, which apart from the clean up necessary, some records were lost.

Reginald John Kidd commenced employment with the firm on 20 August 1966 and was admitted to the partnership on 1 April 1970.

Paul Giles Muir commenced employment with the firm on 2 February 1975 and was admitted to the partnership on 1 March 1976.

Maxwell J Milne retired from the firm in 1977 and is now deceased.

Joe Tyson and Alan Walker retired, as Partners, from the firm at the time of the amalgamation with Campbell White & Co in 1979.

Chapter Three - The Amalgamated Firm

In 1979 discussions were held between the Partners of the two firms, with a view to amalgamating the two practices, to achieve economics of scale and to take advantage of the differing spheres of expertise which each Partner had. The amalgamation duly proceeded but Messrs Tyson and Walker did not enter into the new partnership. Joe Tyson retired and Alan Walker became an employee of the new firm. Although amalgamated financially, the new firm, now called Campbell Tyson, continued operating in the three buildings, a far from satisfactory arrangement. This continued until the whole firm united under one roof in December 1981 in a purpose-built building on the corner of Stadium Drive and Hall Street, Pukekohe. The Partners of Campbell White & Co had previously bought the land in Hall Street, and this was sold to developers who erected the present building with offices for the firm above and rental space below.

Neil Stanley Gollan who commenced employment with the firm in July 1979 was admitted to partnership on 1 January 1982.

Nigel Paul Hicks who commenced employment with Campbell White & Co on 13 January 1975 was admitted to partnership on 1 May 1990.

Glen Beal commenced employment with the firm in 1988 and went on to become an Associate in 1996, and was admitted to the partnership on 1 November 1999.

Reg Kidd retired from the firm on 30 April 2000 to continue practice in Auckland.

Hart Saunders amalgamation - Jeff Rowsell came from Hart Saunders, working initially as a manager and was made a partner on 1^st November 2003.

Cooper White & Associates Limited - merger, 1^st April 2006 - Bob Kriletich and Pat Hanna retired as Partners from Cooper White & Associates and joined the new firm of Campbell Tyson Cooper White Limited as Consultants.

Peter Raynes became a full Partner in the new firm.