Calculating taxes may not be everyone’s cup of tea but for Alice Perniskie, it is in her genes.
The 25›year›old has just become a partner in Gore accounting firm MacDonald Perniskie.
She follows in the footsteps of her father Jack and grandfather Mick to work as an accountant.
Her grandfather started Perniskie Taxation Services in Winton and her father is a partner in MacDonald Perniskie.
Family members have been providing accounting services in Southland for more than 50 years.
Ms Perniskie said she started working in the MacDonald Perniskie Gore office after school.
‘‘I really enjoyed accounting at school.’’
It could be said becoming an accountant was almost inevitable for her because apart from the influence of her grandfather and father, her mother Anne was a mathematics teacher.
‘‘I guess it’s in the blood.’’
When she visited her grandfather he always had an accounting tip to share with her.
She enrolled at the University of Otago in 2016 but after a day decided she wanted to come home.
‘‘I just wasn’t a Dunedin person.
‘‘I was a Southland girl.’’
She enrolled at the Southern Institute of Technology and completed a bachelor of commerce.
The first year she studied full›time and then finished the degree part› time while she worked.
She finished her degree in 2019 and then studied two more years to pass her chartered accountants examinations.
Two of those she passed with merit.
‘‘It’s just as good an opportunity to go to SIT as to go to Otago.’’
She enjoyed coming to work each day.
‘‘I love my job.’’
It was special being the third generation to be working as an accountant.
‘‘People know who you are because the name’s been around such a long time.’’
Some of the clients she worked with had also been with the company for several generations.
Studying at SIT and working was a good option for his daughter because it meant she finished with a small student loan, Mr Perniskie said.
‘‘A lot of kids come out with a student loan of 80 grand.’’
He was pleased his daughter was following in the family business.
‘‘It’s pretty cool.’’
If he gave Ms Perniskie a task to do, he knew it would be done well, he said.
The two worked well together, they said.
‘‘We make a good team.’’
