The standards behind the work
How this handbook stays accurate
Where every reference came from, how it is checked, and what to do when a standard changes.
The problem with a handbook
Any document that quotes standards is out of date the moment a standard changes, and it is most dangerous when it is confidently out of date. A handbook that teaches last year's rule with this year's certainty is worse than no handbook.
So accuracy here is not a promise. It is a set of checks that run every time the handbook is published.
Where the documents come from
Every reference in this handbook points to a document that was downloaded from its publisher, stored, and fingerprinted:
| Publisher | What they publish | What we hold |
|---|---|---|
| External Reporting Board (XRB) | New Zealand accounting standards (NZ IFRS, which carry the IASB's text) and auditing standards (ISAs (NZ), PES and the framework) | The current version of each standard, with its effective date and the address of the publisher's page |
| IAASB, published by IFAC | The Handbook of International Quality Management, Auditing, Review, Other Assurance, and Related Services Pronouncements, 2025 edition | Volumes 1, 4 and 5, which carry the ISAs, the ISQMs, the assurance and review standards, and the framework |
Both publishers make these documents available free of charge. Neither permits their standards to be republished in full, which is why this handbook quotes short passages with attribution and links to the source rather than reproducing the text.
What is checked, and how
Three checks run over the handbook before it is published.
Every reference must exist. A citation naming a standard that is not in the stored list stops publication. There is no path where a typo becomes a published reference to a standard that does not exist.
Every cited paragraph must exist in the publisher's own text. The check reads the extracted text of the document, finds the paragraph by the number the citation gives, and shows the opening words of that paragraph. Where the paragraph cannot be found, publication fails: a reference cannot be published pointing at something that is not there.
Every document must still have the fingerprint we recorded. Checking the stored documents fetches each one again and compares its SHA-256 (a unique fingerprint of the file's contents) with the one recorded when it was first downloaded. A difference means the publisher has issued a new version, and the handbook is re-checked against it before anything is republished.
That third check is the one that keeps this honest over time. It cannot be argued with: either the bytes match or they do not.
What you can check yourself
Every citation in this handbook shows the identifier, the publisher, the address of the source document, and the fingerprint of the copy that was read. You do not need to check any of it to use the handbook; it is there so that a claim can be traced if somebody wants to. Follow the link, find the paragraph, and read it. If this handbook has misread a standard, that is how it will be found, and finding it is the point of the design.
When a standard changes
Standards change in three ways, and each is handled differently.
- A new version of an existing standard. A revised ISA (NZ) 315 or a recompiled NZ IAS 1 will show up as a changed fingerprint and a changed effective date. The references that touch it are reviewed, and the handbook states the new effective date.
- A new standard. NZ IFRS 18, *Presentation and Disclosure in Financial Statements*, takes effect for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027 and will change how performance is presented. It is already in the library, and it will appear in these pages as it becomes applicable.
- A withdrawal. A standard superseded by another stays in the library with the period it applied to, because a working paper about a 2023 audit still has to cite the 2023 rule.
A caution about dates
This edition states the effective date of each standard as the publisher gave it at the time of writing. Effective dates are the thing most likely to have moved. Before you rely on a reference for a live engagement, open the publisher's page from the citation and read the current version. That takes a minute and it is the only way to be certain.