Business In His Blood, Adventure In His Sights
Cody Paget
Long before Cody Paget became a Chartered Accountant, he had a front-row seat to the realities of running a business.
Growing up in Tauranga, Cody spent much of his childhood helping out at the Greerton bakery his parents owned. Later, when they moved into manufacturing laminated timber beams, he worked alongside them both on the factory floor and in the office.
By high school, that meant doing considerably more than a few odd jobs.
“I was dealing with quotes, reconciling bank accounts and getting the financials into the right state to hand over to the accountant,” Cody recalls.
Combined with a natural aptitude for maths and accounting at school, the experience helped shape his future career. After completing a Bachelor of Business Analysis at the University of Waikato, Cody initially took a combined accounts and sales role at a fishing and watersports business – an ideal first step for an accountant who loves wakeboarding.
Cody at Lake Atiamuri
He then joined a Tauranga chartered accountancy firm as a graduate accountant, where he met Maria Livingstone, now a Director at Bennetts Proactive.
“She is an incredibly patient person,” Cody says. “She would always walk you through ‘why’ you were doing something rather than just telling you ‘how’. She liked passing on knowledge. She also put a lot of effort into actually knowing the client and understanding what drives them.”
Coming full circle
Cody progressed from graduate to intermediate and eventually senior accountant, gaining broad experience along the way and qualifying as a Chartered Accountant.
By the time he joined Bennetts Proactive in May 2025, he brought around seven years’ industry experience with him. The opportunity to work with Maria again was a major drawcard, along with the chance to broaden his experience and continue developing his career.
Today, as Senior Accounting Specialist and Team Leader of our six-strong Accounting Team, Cody embraces the same philosophy he learned from Maria.
“I prefer to explain why we’re doing something and sit alongside people to coach them. I like to create a positive environment where you’re approachable, so your team will come to you with any questions they may have.”
The Redwoods – Whakarewarewa Forest is a favourite of Codys to mountain bike with mates (photography by Cody, friend pictured here).
The same approach underpins his relationships with clients, who range from sole traders and landlords to food manufacturers, family trusts and kiwifruit orchardists.
For Cody, understanding their numbers is only part of the job.
“I’m always asking about things outside of the financials. What are they getting up to on the weekend? How’s their family going? It’s a bit more of a personal approach rather, ‘Thanks for coming in. Here’s your books. See you later.’”
Often, those conversations uncover opportunities or issues a client may not have thought to raise.
One recent email from a client asking about Xero coding prompted Cody to pick up the phone. The conversation revealed the client was running two separate activities under the same business umbrella, but their reporting didn’t clearly distinguish between them.
By separating the figures, Cody was able to give the client a much clearer picture of where their costs were coming from, what was working in the business and what wasn’t, so they could make more accurate decisions. “I always try to give clients the opportunity to be in a safe place where no question is a dumb question,” he says.
Cody with partner Ivie on holidays in Mooloolaba, Australia.
Choosing the right line
Away from the office, Cody rarely sits still. He and his girlfriend spend as much time as possible mountain biking in Rotorua’s Redwoods, snowboarding at Tūroa and getting out on the water to surf or wakeboard.
Cody out wakeboarding at Lake Whakamaru.
The latter has been a passion since he was around 10 years old. And with Bennetts Proactive offering the best work-life balance Cody says he has experienced – including a 2pm finish on Fridays – there’s plenty of opportunity to indulge it.
Not every adventure has gone according to plan. As a child, Cody surfaced inside an air pocket beneath an upturned ski boat after it capsized, while a more recent mountain-bike mishap saw him slide off a steep bank, with a ponga fortuitously stopping his descent.
“Surprisingly, I was quite calm. In crazy situations, I tend to be quite calm. I assess the situation: ‘Am I okay? Sweet. Right, carry on.’”
While Cody sees work and weekends as two quite different worlds, there is one common thread.
“The crossover is the analytical part. With mountain biking, you’re always assessing the next rut or the best track to follow. In accounting, you’re always analysing things for the best outcome. I really enjoy those challenges.”
