WW2 fighter pilot Kelvin Lellman set up shop in Wharf Street Tauranga in 1962. For some years the practice traded as Lellman Ingham & Hooker, reducing to Kelvin Lellman with the 1979 departure of Ingham and Hooker to Ernst & Young.
In 1984 son Russell was persuaded to leave his position as Export Manager North Asia, Tasman Pulp & Paper, swallow a salary cut of 50 per cent and join his father in what was now the 'family firm'.
Number crunching in the background till the late 80's, his father's failing health, and the growing business, pushed Russell more and more onto centre stage. 1990 was a pivotal year. Kelvin Lellman passed away. Major clients experienced a dramatic growth surge.
In 1993, now head of a busy team of seven, Russell brought in new partner, Grant Weaver. Joining Lellman Weaver in the early 90's were IT expert David Fraser, "head- hunted" from Bay Typewriters, followed shortly thereafter by the owner himself, Kevin Wearne. Another young accountant promising to add value, and certainly keeping that promise, was Jimmy Conway, who helped pilot Lellman Weaver through its main expansion phase, 1994 to 2001.
The early 90's, too, saw the enlistment of the skills of international co-operative Grant Thornton. The surprising thing was, much of what they saw as the future of accounting was for Russell and team present reality. As Russell recalls: "We didn't fully realise it at the time, but we were in many ways breaking new ground. We were well into 'executive leasing', for example, before we even knew what it was called!"
In 1997 Grant Weaver renounced his partnership but stayed on as a consultant till 1999. Dean Wearne joined the firm in August of 1994, becoming full partner in April 2001. Six months later, after a twelve year tenancy, the company moved from its Willow Street premises to new offices at 78 First Avenue, Tauranga.
Today, with the broadest possible client base and an in-house battery of skills probably unmatched in the region, Lellman Wearne Limited continue to etch deeper meaning into their slogan: Through good guidance .. to genuine growth.