Published on the 26/11/2025 | Written by Heather Wright

Mitre 10, HealthNZ lead automation success…

FujiFilm Business Innovation NZ (FBNZ) and a number of its customers have returned home with a clutch of awards following the Esker Impact Awards, with local organisation’s proving finance automation can deliver some big wins.

FBNZ took out the Esker Partner of the Year Award for Australia and New Zealand, for the second year in a row, with customers including Mitre 10, Health NZ and Gallagher Group also recognised for their achievements in finance automation.

“By leveraging AI, eliminating repetitive tasks and introducing smarter processes, we’re enabling finance professionals to focus on strategic priorities and stronger relationships with suppliers and stakeholders.”

Irene Direnko-Smith, FujiFilm Business Innovation NZ head of process automation says by introducing improved processes and automation technology, mundane tasks can be eliminated, allowing finance teams to dedicating more time to building relationships with customers and suppliers.

“By leveraging AI, eliminating repetitive tasks and introducing smarter processes, we’re enabling finance professionals to focus on strategic priorities and stronger relationships with suppliers and stakeholders,” Direnko-Smith says.

Over the past year FBNZ says it has partnered with organisations including Health New Zealand, OCS and Precinct to transform source-to-pay and order-to-cash processes, delivering outcomes including reduced cycle times, improved compliance and enhanced supplier engagement.

The awards wins highlight how AI-powered automation is enabling the shift from providing transactional processing to delivering insights, optimising working capital and supporting strategic decision making.

Customer success stories

The awards saw Mitre 10 New Zealand win the Source-to-pay Best Results Award. The company processes more than one million invoices annually and has seen straight-through processing rates increase from less than 10 percent in 2024 to more than 70 percent in 2025 after implementing SAP and Esker.

Health New Zealand received a Special Recognition Award in the same category. It went live in August 2024 and has processed more than one million invoices since then, reducing the average invoice processing time to just one day and pioneering eInvoicing through Esker and Peppol.

It’s also seen significant efficiencies by replacing manual data entry, reducing errors and improving supplier communication – with data capture automated, the finance team has been freed up to manage supplier queries and end-user support rather than just entering data.

Data extraction, coding, matching and PO-based invoice reconciliation is handled via the Esker platform, which integrates with Health NZ’s financial, procurement and information management (FPIM) system which brings all districts and entities together under a single national financial platform. The system checks master data, ensuring invoices are matched correctly with supplier details and the right supplier is paid. Variances in bank accounts or GST numbers are checked by the finance team.

Pacific Health Group, which is a network of healthcare brands including workplace health and safety providers Pacific Occ Med and HabitHealth which provides physiotherapy rehabilitation, occupational health, EAP services and fitness clubs, also scooped up a Special Recognition Award in the Source-to-pay Best Results category. It has successfully scaled its finance operations after moving to Esker’s Accounts Payable platform, doubling invoice volumes following the acquisition of workplace injury management and rehabilitation specialist Wellnz, and deploying automation for subcontractor invoicing.

There were also two individual award winners with Nikki Orange, Gallagher Group business services manager bringing home the Source-to-Pay Biggest Champion award while Debby Wong, A/NZ finance director for OCS was named Advocate of the Year.

Orange’s win came on the back of her work leading the team to deliver an Esker Procure to Pay upgrade, including planning, the development of robust internal testing and deployment while normal operations continued.

Wong, meanwhile, has been a supporter of FBNZ and Esker since the beginning of OCS’ automation journey.

She says customers depend on clear, accurate financial information, and that has shaped every part of the organisation’s automation journey.

Direnko-Smith says FBNZ’s Partner of the Year win reflects the ‘bold vision’ of clients and the dedication of the FBNZ team to make that vision real.

“The Esker Impact Awards showcase the incredible progress our customers are making in finance automation,” adds David Jupe, FBNZ managing director.