Integrate the practice stack
XPM, WorkflowMax, Karbon, FYI, SuiteFiles, Dext, Tax Traders - some have real APIs, some need a smarter route in. We connect them so data moves once. Includes the WorkflowMax migration: assess, move, rebuild what broke.
for accountants
You run eight systems. We make them act like one.
NZ practices run a serious stack: Xero, XPM or WorkflowMax, FYI or SuiteFiles, Dext, an AML platform, e-signing, reporting. The tools are good. The gaps between them are where your admin hours go. We're the independent partner who connects the stack, automates onboarding end to end, puts AI on the compliance grind, and untangles the WorkflowMax question - the advice and the build.
in plain terms
iterate is an independent technology partner for New Zealand accounting firms. We connect the practice stack you already run - Xero, Xero Practice Manager, WorkflowMax, Karbon, FYI Docs, SuiteFiles, Dext, First AML, Annature and the rest - so client data moves once instead of being re-keyed five times. We automate client onboarding from accepted proposal to filed evidence, apply AI carefully to documents and routine drafting, handle WorkflowMax migrations, and keep your Microsoft 365 secure. Independent (we don't resell), fast (days, not quarters), and honest about what's not worth doing.
sound familiar?
The tools are fine. The gaps are the problem.
- Onboarding a client takes eleven stepsProposal, AML check, engagement letter, ID verification, practice manager, folder setup, portal invite. Five systems, all by hand, for every single client.
- The WorkflowMax questionOld WFM is gone, the BlueRock version changed the product and the API, and whatever you had connected to it broke. Stay, move, or switch - someone has to actually work it out.
- Re-keying between XPM, Xero and the DMSThe same client data typed into three places, and none of them quite agree.
- AML admin eats real hoursCDD checks, evidence chasing, filing it where the auditor can find it. Mandatory, manual, and nobody's favourite job.
- "We should be using AI" - but how, exactly?Every conference says AI. Nobody shows you what it concretely does in a compliance job, safely, with client data handled properly.
- You're the IT departmentBetween jobs, a partner or the practice manager is also doing password resets and wondering if the backups work.
what we do
Connect the stack. Automate the grind. AI, applied carefully.
Take what you need. Most practices start with one painful problem, prove it works, then we run more over time.
AI on the compliance grind
Source documents read and extracted into workpapers, routine letters and emails drafted from your data, plain-English answers over a client folder. Human in the loop, client data kept out of training sets.
Foundations you can prove
Microsoft 365 and Entra locked down to recognised benchmarks, backups that actually restore, devices managed. Evidence you can hand your insurer or AML auditor. Pairs with security audits.
the onboarding chain
Proposal accepted → everything else just happens.
Client onboarding crosses five systems, so no single vendor automates it - each one stops at its own edge. We connect the whole chain: the accepted proposal triggers the AML case, clearance triggers the engagement letter with e-signature and ID verification, signing creates the client and jobs in your practice manager, and the folders and evidence are filed in your document system. Minutes of oversight instead of an afternoon of admin, for every new client.
Built once, configured to your practice. Your tools, your templates, your rules about what needs a human sign-off. We've mapped which of the twenty-odd tools in the NZ practice stack have real APIs and which need another way in - that map is the difference between "should work" and working.
- → Proposal accepted triggers the AML check
- → Engagement letter + ID verification, e-signed
- → Client & jobs created in XPM / Karbon
- → Folders & evidence filed in FYI / SuiteFiles
- → Every step logged, humans approve what matters
how we work
A conversation, then we ship.
Like a good advisor: independent, advice-led, here for the long run. None of the enterprise process or fluff.
01
A no-obligation chat
A real conversation. No pitch, no fee. Tell us what's eating the practice's time and we'll tell you honestly what's worth doing, and what can wait.
02
Lay of the Land
We look at your stack and your workflow, document what's actually connected to what, and hand you a clear, prioritised plan. Often we start with one focused fix to prove the value.
03
Then we ship
The most valuable piece first, fast, and you start using it. Then we keep making it better, and over time run more of your practice tech as it earns trust.
common questions
Answered straight.
Can you get us off WorkflowMax, or onto the new one?
Yes. The move to WorkflowMax by BlueRock changed the product and its API, so integrations firms relied on for years quietly broke. We assess what you actually had connected, migrate the data, and rebuild the connections on the new platform - or, if the moment's right, help you compare and move to Xero Practice Manager, Karbon or another fit instead. Fixed scope, no drama, and honest advice about which option suits your practice rather than a default answer.
What can AI actually do in an accounting practice, today?
Practical things, not magic. Reading source documents and pulling the figures into workpapers. Drafting the routine client email and the annual-accounts cover letter from your own data. Answering plain-English questions over a client folder. First-pass coding suggestions a human approves. We build these around your actual workflow, test them on real jobs, and keep a person in the loop on anything that touches a client. Your data is kept out of AI training sets and we tell you plainly what goes where.
Which practice tools do you work with?
The stack NZ firms actually run: Xero and Xero Practice Manager, WorkflowMax (old and new), Karbon, MYOB Practice, FYI Docs, SuiteFiles, Hubdoc, Dext, Annature, First AML, Tax Traders, Spotlight and friends. Some have proper APIs, some don't, and part of our job is knowing which is which - and reaching the closed ones another way, like automating SuiteFiles through the SharePoint it sits on.
What does automated client onboarding look like?
A new client accepts your proposal, and from there it just happens: the AML check kicks off, the engagement letter goes out for e-signature with ID verification, the client and jobs appear in your practice manager, and the folder structure and evidence are filed in your document system. No vendor sells that whole chain, because it crosses five of them. Connecting it end to end is exactly the kind of work we do.
Is our client data safe with you?
It's our day job. We run Microsoft 365 and Entra security to recognised benchmarks, lock down access properly, and can show you exactly where you stand - useful for your insurer, your AML auditor and your own peace of mind. Where AI is involved, we choose tools and settings that keep client data out of training sets, and we're upfront about exactly what goes where before anything runs.
How do you charge, and what's the smallest thing you'll do?
We start small. Most practices begin with one painful problem - a WorkflowMax decision, one automation, a security check - delivered for a fixed price. If it earns its keep, it grows into us quietly running more of the practice tech on a simple monthly arrangement. No big-firm minimums, no lock-in, and we'll tell you when something isn't worth doing.
We're not in Wellington - does that matter?
No. We're Wellington based and happy on the road or on a call; the work itself is cloud work. Practices anywhere in NZ run the same stack, and everything above works the same from Kaitaia to Bluff.
start a conversation
Tell us about your stack.
The WorkflowMax question, the onboarding grind, the AI you keep hearing about. Tell us what's on your plate. No pitch, no fee. We'll tell you straight what's worth doing and where to start.