An Eastern Bay accounting firm’s recent award win comes as it expands its focus beyond traditional accounting, with its athlete academy working to give local sporting talent the support and pathways to reach its potential.

Ake Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors was named Emerging Advisory Firm of the Year at the 2026 Advisory in Motion (AIM) Awards, held at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre last month.

The firm’s focus on advisory work has grown alongside its traditional accounting services, with Ake working with businesses, trusts and Māori organisations to help them achieve their goals.

The awards, held in partnership with Xero, recognised firms across the accounting and advisory sector.

The AIM judges recognised Ake for its specialist focus on helping Māori organisations thrive, aligning financial strategy with the values and vision they already hold.

They noted advisory had quickly moved from one person’s project to a core part of the firm, now delivered by a dedicated team through programmes including board coaching, financial awareness coaching, culturally grounded governance training and community workshops.

They also pointed to client work carried through to investment readiness and funding secured.

The judges summarised Ake as: “Culturally competent. Advisory first. Organisationally scalable. Strategically focused.”

Ake director and chief executive Tania-Rose Tamati said it was exciting for the team to finally receive the recognition after being finalists for about three years.

“It was cool to finally win one and get that recognition,” she said.

The firm was also a finalist for the Innovation Award.

Tamati said Ake was different from a typical accounting firm because of its proactive approach to advisory and its focus on helping clients unlock their potential.

The firm was established as a standalone business in 2018, having previously operated as a division of a mainstream accounting firm. It has since grown from a team of four to 15 staff, with the business averaging about 25 percent growth a year.

Ake’s focus on unlocking potential extends beyond its clients, with the firm also putting its resources behind talented athletes in the Eastern Bay.

The Ake Athlete Academy, which operates through the Hikohiko Te Uira Charitable Trust, was developed from a long-held desire by Tamati and fellow director Matthew Davis to support young people in the region.

Academy director Lynette Ngaheu said the idea was driven by the amount of talent in the Eastern Bay and a desire to create more opportunities locally.

“There’s so much potential, there’s amazing talent here that we’ve always had to send out,” she said.

Ngaheu brings 22 years of experience teaching in the tertiary sector across sports and fitness and to the academy.

The academy has already worked with a cohort of 20 athletes aged between 12 and 24, from sports including waka ama, basketball, rodeo and bull riding, volleyball, netball, rugby, rugby league, touch, squash, rowing and tennis.

Its 10-week programme combines strength and conditioning, nutrition, education and leadership development.

Athletes work on acceleration, deceleration, agility and explosiveness, as well as sport-specific skills and individual programmes designed around their chosen sport.

Ngaheu said one of the biggest priorities was building confidence.

“We’ve got some amazing athletes that turn up and they don’t believe in themselves,” she said.

The academy also takes a holistic approach to athlete development, drawing on Te Whare Tapa Whā.

“We don’t just look at the performance of the athlete, we look into their mindset, spirituality and emotions as well,” Ngaheu said.

Tamati said the academy was another part of Ake’s wider focus on health and wellbeing.

“Health and well-being, that’s the basic thing you need to live. So, if your health and well-being is no good, then your business can’t be good either,” she said.

The academy also works with businesses and organisations on corporate wellness and team-building programmes.

Ngaheu recently worked with 55 staff from Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau through a wellness programme, with more than 10 people losing more than 10kg while developing healthier habits.

“Their staff fill so many other people’s cups through their mahi, and I went in to help fill theirs,” Ngaheu said.

The academy’s focus extends beyond sporting success, with education also an important part of its programmes.

Athletes are encouraged to prioritise their schooling alongside their sporting commitments, with Ake wanting to help young people build successful futures whether that is through sport or another career.

“We don’t just talk about sports and fitness. It’s about their lifestyle, what they’re going to be doing later on in life and making the most of every opportunity that they have,” Ngaheu said.

Ake also provides opportunities for young people to gain workplace experience, with high school students completing Gateway placements with the firm and exploring careers in accounting.

The academy hopes to create stronger pathways for Eastern Bay athletes to progress to representative and potentially New Zealand level without having to leave the region simply to access high-performance support.

“The talent here is unreal. It’s just how we harness it and support it,” Ngaheu said.

The academy is preparing for its next intake and plans to expand into schools next year, where it hopes to teach high-performance principles and encourage more young athletes to explore their potential.

It is also looking for support from local businesses and the wider community.

Ake has funded much of the academy’s development to date, while the team is looking to build a sustainable model through corporate programmes and sponsorship.

Ngaheu’s long-term goal is to find 100 sponsors to support 100 Eastern Bay athletes.

She said financial barriers could prevent some talented athletes from accessing equipment and opportunities, with some young people even arriving without appropriate footwear.

The academy is also looking for a suitable community space that could become its headquarters.

Tamati said the firm wanted the wider business community to get behind the programme because it was about developing people, not just athletes.

“We’re building better people in our community, not just sports people,” she said.

For Ngaheu, success is ultimately about athletes knowing they are supported and believing in themselves.

“All the athletes knowing that they’re supported. That’s success for me,” she said.

For more information about the Ake Athlete Academy, visit its Facebook page -Ake Athlete Academy.

Businesses and organisations interested in supporting the academy through sponsorship can contact Lynette Ngaheu at [email protected]