Newsletter - December 2025
The Marketing Team have just left my office, asking that I write an intro for the Christmas Newsletter.
With that in mind, it's the perfect opportunity to reflect on the year that's been. For many of our clients, 2025 has had its fair share of challenges, from weather events and higher interest rates to a sluggish economy. Keeping ahead of these changes has kept us busy, but I am pleased to say our team has been up for the challenge.
A highlight of 2025 was David Hogue joining us as a partner in April. That completed the transition in the partnership group. Internally this has been a major project over the past three years and hopefully has been relatively seamless for our clients.
At home, the boys just keep growing and are enjoying life on the Taieri. My youngest Charlie will be starting Year 9 (Form 3 in old money) next year and the oldest is talking about getting his driver’s license.
For Christmas we are set to do a few days camping and then head to Central Otago for hopefully a bit of time on the water and in the sun.
From all the team at Polson Higgs we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year. Enjoy your holidays and we look forward to working with you next year.
Mike
In this Newsletter
- Christmas Hours
- Trusts and 39% Tax Rate
- All I Want for Christmas is More Time!
- XERO in 2026
- 2025 Wrapped
Christmas Hours
Over Christmas our office will be closed from noon on Tuesday 23 December and will reopen on Monday 12 January 2026. If you have an urgent matter that needs attention during this time, please contact the Partner you work with on their cell phone (their number can be found in their email signature or on our website).
All I want for Christmas is More Time!
One of the most common refrains at Christmas is how busy and stressful it can be. The “mad rush” to get everything done before the big day just highlights how hectic our lives have become.
Part of this comes down to the choices we make. Is it truly important to finish everything today, or can some things wait until tomorrow? Sometimes, the better choice is to simply “stop and smell the roses.”
If you would like a little more time to “stop and smell the roses,” play golf, or spoil the grandchildren, we can help. Our Business Advisory team are experts at finding faster, more efficient ways to complete your regular tasks. From sharing the latest time-saving tips in Xero to providing outsourced solutions, we can help you free up more hours in your day.
To find out more about how our Business Advisory team can help, contact your Partner, or email us here.
Trust and 39% Tax Rate
At first glance, watching a 20-minute recording on trusts and the 39% tax rate might not seem like top holiday viewing. However, Mike and Ryan’s recent webinar has been exceptionally well received because of their practical approach to this complex topic. They explore not only the impact the increased rate has but also how it can affect other key decisions you may make around your Trust.
You can view the recording here and you can download a copy of the presentation slides here.
If you have got any questions, please don't hesitate to get in contact with your Partner or Manager. Alternatively, if you would prefer your Partner to contact you to discuss your trust click here.
Xero in 2026
Xero is on a whirlwind of innovation right now, and you may be noticing some major changes when using Xero. These changes are about helping you understand and run your business more smoothly. Some of the updates that are now live or due to be rolled out shortly are:
Updated Navigation blue ribbon: All sections in Xero have been efficiently organised under new headers.
Updated Homepage: The homepage will be getting a refresh, with more information available at first glance so you know where to focus your attention. This is fully customisable so you can choose which widgets you want to see.
Upload bills: You can now drag and drop pdfs or jpgs directly into Xero in bulk. Draft bills are created for each file, and content will be auto filled where it can be read by Xero.
For Xero business plans Grow and higher: Xero are introducing their new AI powered tool, JAX Auto-Reconcile. When enabled, JAX will auto-reconcile any new lines it is confident about. You can review, undo, or edit them anytime. This is still in beta testing but will be rolled out soon.
There are more improvements coming in 2026, and we will keep you updated as these occur.
But for an in-depth look at Xero and the changes, keep an eye out for our free lunchtime training session in February 2026. If you would like to receive details about this event as they come to hand, click here.
2025 Wrapped
Inside and outside of the office, our team are always up to something! From Judging at Young Enterprise, to the social club ski trip it has been a busy and exciting year. Want to see more, then follow us on Facebook.
We are proud to have supported in 2025...
If you would like to know how Polson Higgs can help your community group or charity, then checkout our Community Partners page.
You have received this email because you are subscribed to Polson Higgs mailing list.
If you no longer want to receive messages from us simply click the link below to unsubscribe.
Unsubscribe Here
Copyright © 2025 Polson Higgs, All rights reserved
