The acknowledgement, at a recent gala dinner, recognised their contribution to the accounting profession through services to their community, participation in professional bodies and dedication to research or writing.
Prof Griffiths has been an academic for 21 years, teaching on taxation. She has been dean of the faculty of law at the University of Otago since January 2021.
Prior to joining the university as a lecturer in 2001, she worked for 13 years in public practice in Dunedin.
As well as assisting with CAANZ accreditation and moderation of the Otago Business School’s business law papers, she has had various community roles.
At the moment, she is chairwoman of the charitable trust board of All Saints Anglican Church, a trustee of the Arts Festival Dunedin Trust Board and a member of the management committee for the University Childcare Association.
Her nomination referred to her as one of New Zealand’s pre-eminent tax researchers. She has written numerous influential articles, particularly on aspects of tax administration, tax litigation and disputes and, more generally, tax policy.
Ms Adair, a partner at Polson Higgs, has run external courses within her profession. She also leads the firm’s charities initiative, overseeing $40,000 of free or subsidised accounting work for local charities every year.
She received a Paul Harris Fellow award from Rotary for her work with the youth exchange, and is on the board of trustees of the Home of Saint Barnabas Trust and is chairwoman of the Otago Youth Wellness Trust.
She was elected to the board of trustees of King’s High School in 2009 and served as chairwoman of the finance committee.
Prior to her arrival, the school’s finances needed expertise, and she introduced new financial systems and controls and turned the situation around.
Once reserves had built up, they were then invested into projects that had led to provisioning an artificial hockey turf, which has since been built.
