Staff Profiles
Sari Hodgson FCA
1960 – 2023
Sari joined her father and brother in the firm in 1979. She became a partner in 1991 and was the sole shareholder and director of the company until her unexpected and sudden death in April.
Sari made a significant contribution to the Nelson community, especially in the business and arts sectors. She was a past President of The Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce in 1995-97. During this time she put in place a number of initiatives that the Chamber still delivers today. She saw the potential of the Chamber of Commerce and also the need to change its image and focus if it was to deliver on this potential. She set about modernising the organisation and helped grow its membership from around 200 members to more than 500 when she ended her two years as President.
Sari was also a past chair of The Bishop Suter Art Gallery and guided The Suter through the process of becoming a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO). This means the future of The Suter is secure as very special community owned asset. She also organised an annual charity dinner and auction to raise funds for The Suter. The dinner was first held in 2003 and continues as an annual event today to raise funds for the acquisition of new works of art for the permanent collection at The Suter.
Sari’s support for the arts sector extended to include the Nelson Arts Festival as a sponsor and mentor for almost 20 years.
Sari recognised that the role of the Chartered Accountant was changing in the modern business environment and extended her areas of expertise by completing a second degree, this time a B.Com (Marketing) so she could be of increased value to her clients.
Sari’s was a supporter of young people who were studying, employing many students from NMIT, encouraging and supporting them in their studies. Through the business she also proved prizes for students at annual prize givings at Nelson College for Girls, Waimea College and NMIT. She was a member of the NMIT School of Business Advisory Committee for more than 20 years and chaired the committee for approximately 15 years.
Sari was a best selling author of user friendly accounting books for small businesses. Her latest book has received many reviews praising the easy to understand nature of the book.
Neil Hodgson
Practice Manager
Neil is the Practice Manager at Savage & Savage and tries to keep everyone happy! He has a background in commercial real estate and small business management so is able to provide sound real estate advice to our clients. This includes buying and selling investment property as well as advice on leasing suitable business premises. Savage & Savage also use his skills to provide commercial property management services for our clients. Neil splits his time between Savage & Savage and writing about wine and food.
Neil is also a past president of the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce, is a former Trustee of the Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency (NRDA), after establishing the organisation he spent three years on the board as a Trustee.
His background means Neil is able to provide clients with a wide range of information and advice. He is also able to give advice on governance structures, strategic planning and policy development.
When he is not working you are likely to finding him indulging in his passion for wine and you can follow his thoughts and reviews about food and beverage on his website Top Tastes.
Pauline Warne
Senior Accountant
Pauline joined Savage & savage in May 2022 after working as a contract accountant for a number of years. She is a fully qualified CA in England and brings a lot of experience to the role.
We have worked with Pauline for many years while she worked for a large client of ours so we know the standard of work she brings to this role. Her experience as a management accountant brings another dimension to her role with us.
Natasha Basham
Intermediate Accountant
Natasha joined the team in November 2021 as a Junior Accountant.
She spent her early twenties in Perth and Melbourne. Drawn to the business due to her enthusiasm for independent enterprise. Natasha loves seeing local Nelson businesses flourish.
She has a deep appreciation for Nelson’s colourful, vibrant, creative culture and lush surroundings. She has had an eclectic range of work in retail and hospitality – from women’s fashion to serving craft beers.
Natasha loves a laugh and walking with her dog – Pepper.
Karin Anderson
Office Manager
Karin joined Savage and Savage in July 2022. She has owned and operated various successful businesses both in the North and South Island and brings the perspective of a business person to the team. Karin has a wealth of experience using Xero, MYOB, Rees and numerous other software packages.
Karin’s hobbies include spending time with family and friends, reading, going to the movies and walking her crazy dog Kobe.