Two Tauranga accountancy firms are in the due diligence stage of merger talks.

BDO Tauranga, formerly known as Simmonds Cooney Lellman, and RHB Chartered Accountants are looking to merge.

Two Tauranga accountancy firms are set to merge.

BDO is one of the top five global accounting firms covering 138 countries and has 14 independently owned offices around New Zealand.

RHB started out as a small practice in 1995 and has grown to a five partner practice with a strong receivership, business advisory and corporate finance focus.

A merger with RHB is seen as complementing the BDO strengths in business advisory, audit and taxation.

'A merger would create a Tauranga firm that is able to offer an exciting range of services that clients now expect,” says RHB managing partner Kenneth Brown.

There will be an orderly transition of RHB clients with every care taken to ensure that clients are comfortable with any merger with BDO, says Kenneth. The partners have signed a Heads of Agreement.

'RHB are a well-respected firm in the Tauranga and Western BOP business sector. Both partnerships are very involved in the community, provide leadership and have diverse and complementary skill sets.

BDO Tauranga partner Fraser Lellman says if the merger proceeds then the combined BDO firm will have eight partners and 55 staff creating a strong group of advisors with extensive experience and understanding of local issues.