Accounting standards engender confidence in the financial reporting of the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
Audit & Assurance standards ensure trust in an organisation's financial reports.
How are our standards set?
Accounting standards engender confidence in the financial reporting of the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Audit & assurance standards ensure trust in an organisation's financial reports.
Process for issuing standards
Section 22 of the Financial Reporting Act 2013 requires us to ensure all who would be affected by the issue of a standard or an amendment are consulted and have an opportunity to provide feedback, suggestions and insights.
The XRB Board has developed a set of due process guidelines which the NZASB and the NZAuASB must follow before issuing a standard, amendment to a standard, or other pronouncement.
You can view diagrams of the different standard setting processes following the links above.
These diagrams are intended only as a straightforward guide to the full process.
For a detailed description of how our standards are set, read the following documents alongside these diagrams. They set out the full processes for setting both accounting standards and auditing & assurance standards:
- Overview of the Accounting Standard Setting Process
- Overview of the Auditing and Assurance Standard Setting Process
Overview of the Accounting Standard Setting Process
Final sign-off
Before a new standard (or amendment, authoritative notice or other pronouncement for issue) can be approved, the standard-setting Board must be assured that:
- reasonable steps have been taken to consult with persons or organisations likely to be affected by the proposed standard/amendment/pronouncement
- the proposed standard/amendment/pronouncement is likely to achieve its objectives
- the advantages of the proposed standard/amendment/pronouncement are sufficient to justify its issue.
The standard-setting Board prepares a certificate signing memo which outlines the due process followed, the major issues raised by the constituency during that process, and the conclusions reached by the standard-setting Board in considering them.
The XRB Board Chair signs the certificate and the standard-setting Board can then issue the standard/amendment/ pronouncement.
Public notification
When we issue a standard, amendment, or pronouncement we notify this publicly on our website and via our NZASB Update or NZAuASB Update as appropriate.
Changes to standards are also posted to our Recent Approvals page.
Notifications also appear in the NZ Gazette — the official Government newsletter.
Regulations disallowance
Standards are treated as Regulations and must be tabled in Parliament within 16 sitting days of the standard (or amendment) being issued.
Parliament may, by resolution within 21 sitting days, disallow a standard.
The parliamentary process surrounding this involves consideration of the issued standard by the Regulations Review Committee.
The standard setting process is governed by the Financial Reporting Act 2013.