Tax Traders, Taxi win big at INFINZ Awards
They say good things come in pairs.
And so it proved last night at the INFINZ Awards in Auckland, as Tax Traders and its sibling company Taxi scooped the Corporate ESG and Innovation in Financial Services awards respectively.
The awards ceremony, held at Queens Wharf’s Shed 10, is the premier recognition of innovation, leadership and excellence across New Zealand’s financial and capital markets ecosystem – showcasing best practice, celebrating success and fostering a vibrant, connected professional community.
A smaller business leading the way in ESG
The Corporate ESG Award recognises organisations that are advancing diversity, mental health, working conditions and sustainability within their own business and across the wider ecosystem.
Traditionally, the category acknowledges large‑scale ESG programmes from very large institutions – as evidenced by the other category finalists, Westpac and Infratil.
It was something Tax Traders’ Co-Founder Nicola Taylor acknowledged in her acceptance speech.
“Sometimes ESG can feel out of reach for smaller businesses. But our experience has been the opposite. You can start small, start imperfectly, learn, adjust and try again. We simply do not believe you need to be a large institution to make a large difference.
“We really hope that more and more businesses will notice what we are doing and think, ‘well if they can do that, maybe we can too’. This is how change happens.”
Nicola emphasised ESG isn’t something that has been built alongside Tax Traders – it is the business.
“Our belief that business can be a force for good shapes how we lead, treat people, design work, think about profit, and the impact we hope to leave on New Zealand.”
She also gave a special shout-out to the people at Tax Traders who have made this happen.
“Of course, this award belongs to our extraordinary team, who continually prove that high performance and humanity are not opposites. Thank you. And thank you to our extraordinary Chair Caro Williams, Director Kate Parsons, and lastly my co-founder in all things Josh Taylor. Building businesses with you is one of the great joys of my life.
“This team believes that financial institutions can be commercially successful and deeply human. In fact, we believe the future belongs to businesses that can do both.”
In awarding the Corporate ESG Award, the judges said Tax Traders stood out for its many highly innovative and creative approaches, with ESG principles brought to life across every aspect of its operations.
“The judges noted a particular focus on nurturing diversity and inclusion within its workforce and on developing a highly collaborative and family‑friendly workplace, while still delivering on its economic goals. The judges also commended the winner for its outsized leadership impact across the financial services ecosystem.”
Taxi: ‘Productising, democratising and scaling tax pooling’
Meanwhile, Taxi also took home the Innovation in Financial Services Award, ahead of The Warehouse Group and Feijoa.
The award recognises an organisation that has introduced new or enhanced services creating meaningful value for customers and the wider economy.
Launched in 2024, Taxi enables Kiwi businesses to access affordable funding using their provisional tax as security.
“While elements of tax pooling have existed previously, the judges recognised the winner’s achievement in productising, democratising, and scaling what had historically been complex, bespoke arrangements,” said the judges.
They also commended the significant legal structuring, regulatory engagement and system design that resulted in a working capital solution now readily accessible to a broad SME base.