Governance Regulatory Changes, IFRS Adoption, and New Zealand Audit and Non-Audit Fees: Empirical Evidence

39 Pages Posted: 15 Feb 2008 Last revised: 11 Jan 2009

See all articles by Paul A. Griffin

Paul A. Griffin

University of California, Davis - Graduate School of Management

David H. Lont

University of Otago - Department of Accountancy and Finance

Estelle Sun

Boston University - Questrom School of Business

Date Written: December 31, 2008

Abstract

This study examines the association between overseas and New Zealand governance regulatory reforms in New Zealand public companies' audit and non-audit fees. We state audit and non-audit fee models, and use temporal and IFRS indicator variables to relate the timing of the fee changes with the incidence of the overseas and local governance reforms.

We find that audit fees increased in New Zealand over 2002-2006. Such increases associate reliably with the transition to and adoption of NZ IFRS and not with the overseas governance reforms in the United States and Australia, enacted earlier.

Our results also show a decrease in non-audit fees over the same period but we find no IFRS effect for non-audit fees

Keywords: Audit fees, auditor independence, governance regulations, International Financial

JEL Classification: C38, K22, L80, M40, M41

Suggested Citation

Griffin, Paul A. and Lont, David H. and Sun, Estelle Yuan, Governance Regulatory Changes, IFRS Adoption, and New Zealand Audit and Non-Audit Fees: Empirical Evidence (December 31, 2008). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1093554 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1093554

Paul A. Griffin

University of California, Davis - Graduate School of Management ( email )

3102 Gallahger Hall
Davis, CA 95616
United States
(530) 752-7372 (Phone)
(425) 799-4143 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.gsm.ucdavis.edu/griffin/

David H. Lont (Contact Author)

University of Otago - Department of Accountancy and Finance ( email )

Box 56
Dunedin, Otago 9054
New Zealand
+64 3 479 8119 (Phone)
+64 3 479 8171 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.business.otago.ac.nz/acty/

Estelle Yuan Sun

Boston University - Questrom School of Business ( email )

595 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA MA 02215
United States
1-617-353-2353 (Phone)