Step through the front gates of any public school and you’ll find a team of hard-working staff who keep the wheels in motion. While they might not have the same financial goals as your traditional business, smooth operations are key to ensuring their students succeed.
Havelock North High School is a young, vibrant school with a roll of almost 1000 students. Its mission is to give every student as many opportunities as possible. To do that, it combines a dash of progressiveness with a pinch of tradition, and systems that support what students need from their school.
MYOB Advanced Business provides the school with modern functionality, allowing it to deliver a high standard of teaching (even through multiple lockdowns) and deeper insights into departmental reporting.
Making the move to the cloud
Mike Hosking is an accountant who works with a lot of different businesses and has been contracting with Havelock North High School for the past 20 years.
During that time, the school has used a variety of software. For at least a decade, it had been using an on-premises Sage ERP system until COVID hit and they required a cloud-based solution. So, it started using Sage Online – until that product was withdrawn from service.
With a roll of almost 1000 kids, there’s a huge number of cash transactions that are managed through the school’s system.
“We have quite a bit of data going through – there might be 5000 transactions per month just in cash, and for every kid that completes a transaction, there's a fee, and we have to account for all of those separately.”
- Mike Hosking, Contracting accountant, Havelock North High School
The ability to process a high volume of transactions was top of the checklist for Mike, alongside cost and ease of data migration. So, rather than going back to an on-premises solution, he moved to MYOB Advanced Business. The transition “was an easy choice” once they compared their options.
"I've worked in lots of different businesses and put lots of different software in lots of different places. This has been one of the bigger ones I’ve done, but it’s also been smoother and better," he said.
Reporting capabilities “miles ahead of where we were before”
MYOB Advanced Business’ reporting capabilities are a standout feature, alongside the integration with Velixo Reports, Mike says. Using the search function, he’s able to drill down and extract more granular data, which is “miles ahead of where we were before.”
It means he’s able to report across every department or working area in a way that adds value and helps the school make better decisions. “The staff are always wanting more information out of the reports,” he laughs, “so it keeps them happy too.”
Previously, the school would print out monthly financial reports and put them in cubby holes, but with MYOB Advanced Business it can now send reports via email - cutting down on time and resources.
"Some reports used to take us months to do, but with MYOB Advanced Business and Velixo, it’s just so smooth – it’s unbelievable really."
- Mike Hosking, Contracting accountant, Havelock North High School
Better accessibility and reduced hardware expenses
Part of the school’s decision to move to the cloud was to reduce its hardware commitment. The other part was about being able to access the system from anywhere. With ongoing COVID restrictions, it’s been critical in allowing the school to function ‘as normal’ and allows Mike to be flexible with his working arrangements too.
“There are times when I’m with another client and I can log in and have a quick look when I have five minutes spare – it’s much easier.”
A system that will grow with the school
Havelock North High School is the first school in New Zealand to implement MYOB Advanced Business, and with 116 different sub-accounts, using anything smaller would have been detrimental.
“It was a step up for us, but if you want to manage your finances by activity, MYOB Advanced Business does it beautifully and simply,” Mike said.
The school is now in a much more cost-effective position with a cloud-based system and is looking forward to seeing what it’s able to achieve with the system over the next year.
First on the list is integrating the school’s shop system. As MYOB Advanced Business is designed to add more integrations - without added cost or complexity – the system won’t be slowed down.
"MYOB Advanced Business can be adapted to suit our needs with no extra cost to us, giving us access to improved functionality and an integrated system. The more we delve into MYOB Advanced Business, the better it gets."
Ensuring student success in the Hawkes Bay
Havelock North High School is a young, vibrant school with a roll of almost 1000 students.
MYOB Advanced Business ensures the school has modern functionality that allows it to provide the same high standard of teaching (even through multiple lockdowns) and provides deeper insights into departmental reporting.
Improvements since MYOB Advanced Business:
Powerful ERP system easily manages a high number of cash transactions
Detailed reporting provides high-level, real-time insights for informed decision-making
From months to minutes: Velixo integration enables fast and accurate reporting
Cloud-based: the finance system is accessible from anywhere, reducing on-premises hardware commitments
Clear sub-accounts used to break down finances by activity
Flexibility: room to grow and add more integrations as needed
