Hard work and dedication to the profession she is passionate about has paid off in the form of official recognition for CrestClean’s Christina Kelliher.
Christina is one of the first payroll practitioners in the country to have achieved a new industry accreditation.
The New Zealand Payroll Practitioners Association (NZPPA) recently launched a certification framework to build payroll as a recognised profession in New Zealand.
To attain NZPPA certification, applicants need to clearly demonstrate they have the skills, experience and knowledge to successfully gain the certification level sought.
Christina, CrestClean’s Payroll Manager, had to undergo a lengthy assessment process, which involved answering 80 questions that required a 90 percent pass rate. And she’s delighted to have been successful.
“This accreditation gives our profession recognition for the role that we do. There’s a lot more to payroll than people think.
“There’s quite a lot of legislative background that payroll people need to be aware of and apply and do calculations with. Payroll is not a straightforward job by any means.”
Christina says in most organisations employees seldom have contact with the pay office. It’s only in the rare situations that something has gone awry.
Payroll is not a profession for everyone, she says. “It’s got challenges and you have to use your brain – it certainly helps if you have a mind for figures.”
But the role of payroll carries a lot of responsibility in an organisation, she says.
“If you get it wrong the risk to a business is huge. So you want to make sure the person doing the payroll is competent and has been assessed as competent.”
She says NZPPA has been working hard to promote the concept of payroll practitioners being an “out and out profession of their own”.
“I like to advocate that you can get a good career out of being a payroll person. The profession gives you a lot of transferable skills.”
CrestClean’s Managing Director Grant McLauchlan praised Christina for her achievement and says the role is an integral part of the business.
“It’s imperative that our people are paid correctly in accordance with the law and we have full compliance over payroll.
“Payroll is a very difficult role to get right. Even a lot of the Government departments have failed to get it right.
“We couldn’t be happier with Christina who has, supported by Crest, achieved this great accreditation. She has worked hard to achieve it. Well done Christina!”
In his congratulatory letter to Christina, David Jenkins Chief Executive Office New Zealand Payroll Practitioners Association, says: “You have attained the NZPPA certification of Certified Payroll Practitioner (CPP) Level 2.
“You can be proud that you are a proven payroll professional at the certification level you have achieved. This sets you apart of other payroll practitioners.”
