There’s something liberating about checking your stock at dawn, then switching to spreadsheets by nine. For Mark Foster, this daily transition from gumboots to business shoes is the foundation of nearly two decades of helping rural and small business clients work through the same challenges he often faces himself.
“I’ve been in business myself. It certainly puts you in the same boat as your clients when they’re trying to get out there and make a dollar,” Mark explains. “I know the commercial realities out there and how hard it is to make money and how hard it is to make a profit.”
As Director of UHY’s Kumeu office, Mark brings something increasingly rare to accounting: entrepreneurial experience that spans dairy farms in Northland, farming operations at South Head, and the complex world of rural business advisory.
The farmer-accountant advantage
Mark’s journey began on a dairy farm in Northland, where the realities of agricultural cash flow, seasonal variations, and regulatory compliance weren’t only textbook theories—they were everyday skills needed to run a profitable farm. Today, running his own farming operation at South Head whilst leading UHY’s rural accounting practice, he exemplifies a combination of technical expertise and lived experience.
“I know I’m on the coal face there, so I know how they feel,” he says. This distinction matters enormously when you’re sitting across from a client whose GST payment could determine whether they expand their operation or struggle through another season.
The difference shows in how Mark approaches client challenges. He understands that for small business owners, a thousand-dollar saving on tax isn’t just numbers on a page—it’s real purchasing power, growth capital, and financial breathing room.
The real-world reality check
As a farm-owner, Mark deals with the same compliance headaches his clients face. He files his own GST returns, manages cash flow across multiple businesses, and makes the tough decisions about when to invest and when to hold back. This hands-on experience creates credibility that can’t be learned in training courses.
“Sometimes in accounting teams, you get a bit insulated because you’re not involved in collecting money. You’ve got a healthy bottom line. Therefore, cash doesn’t become that critical. But when you’re running your own operation, you’re trying to work out what your future looks like in terms of sales coming in and what issues you deal with personally as far as tax compliance.”
This perspective really helps client relationships. When Mark delivers difficult financial news, there’s genuine empathy behind the conversation. “If I have to tell them about a big tax bill, which I hate doing, I empathise with them... because I know what it would actually feel like.”
The lateral thinking entrepreneur
Mark describes himself as “a lateral thinker” who’s “always thinking outside” conventional approaches. “If there’s a different way of doing it, I’m always trying to find that way.”
“I’m a bit of an entrepreneur as well. I’m always looking for new opportunities. Both for myself and for clients,” he explains. “If ‘A’ does something and ‘B’ does something else, then I can put ‘A’ and ‘B’ together and they’ll do well.”
This connection-making reflects UHY’s broader approach to client service—seeing opportunities where others see only compliance obligations, finding synergies that create value, and thinking strategically about business growth rather than just managing historical data.
The community connection
Leading UHY’s Kumeu office means Mark serves his own community—the place where he lives, farms nearby, and raises his family. This local connection creates accountability and understanding that extends beyond professional relationships.
“I love having the opportunity to work with locals in my own community,” he notes. This ensures that Mark’s advice considers not only the immediate financial optimisation for his client but also long-term sustainability and local economic health.
His approach to client service reflects this community perspective: “We’re caring. We’re compassionate to their financial needs where they want to go... and also to help them meet their obligations as far as laws and tax rules.” This balance between aspiration and compliance represents the dual challenge many small business owners face—growing whilst staying compliant.
The balance of business and life
What others might see as more work, Mark considers pure relaxation.
“I love getting home, getting on the bike, going over the farm, checking the stock. It’s my form of relaxation because it’s a completely different environment from what I do eight hours a day at work.”
Living on the family property at South Head, Mark experiences the seasonal rhythms that drive agricultural business cycles. The winter mud and hungry cattle, the productive spring and summer seasons are the actual conditions that shape cash flow patterns and investment decisions for his rural clients.
The human side of numbers
At its core, Mark’s approach recognises that accounting is about people. “It’s not about just figures on a page. It relates so much to people,” he emphasises. This philosophy drives his practice approach and client relationships.
“When clients walk away from the meeting knowing they have a clearer plan of what they’ve got to do, that makes us happy too, because we’ve given them value for a service that we’ve provided.”
This satisfaction in client clarity and direction reflects UHY’s broader mission of turning complexity into clarity and uncertainty into confidence.
The personable professional
Mark describes himself as someone who can “relate to people on different levels” and calls himself “personable." This interpersonal warmth, combined with technical expertise and real business experience, creates the kind of advisor relationship that extends beyond transactional service delivery.
His entrepreneurial mindset means he’s constantly “looking for new opportunities” both for himself and clients, thinking beyond traditional accounting boundaries to consider how different businesses and opportunities might connect. This broader perspective helps clients see possibilities they might otherwise miss.
For clients who want an accountant who understands what it means to make payroll, manage cash flow, and balance growth ambitions with compliance obligations, Mark represents something increasingly valuable—expertise backed by experience.
