A full house in Xero’s home market

“Scaling with Xero: How far can you go?” was held at Xero’s Auckland office, in Aotearoa New Zealand - Xero’s most mature market. One where thousands of businesses have grown up on the platform. 

The room was packed with finance leaders, advisors and app partners who came together to answer the question:

Do you really need to leave Xero to scale, or can you build something better around it?

Challenging the ERP default

Throughout the afternoon, the assumption that growth = ERP was frequently challenged and, in many cases, completely dismantled.

What we heard, consistently, was:

• Finance teams don’t want to leave Xero
• They’re being told they should
• But increasingly, they’re proving they don’t have to

Instead of defaulting to ERP, modern finance teams are:

• Designing best-in-class, modular tech stacks
• Layering specialised tools around Xero
• Scaling complexity without scaling headcount
  

What scaling with Xero actually looks like

The event was grounded in real examples.

Through the CFO Techstack lens, we shared how finance teams are building using a structured, category-driven approach: from close automation to reporting, approvals, and beyond.

Then came the panel. Finance leaders from businesses with 200+ employees and $300m+ revenue shared how they are:

• Operating entirely on Xero + a modern app stack
• Moving away from ERP, not towards it
• Building finance functions that are leaner, faster, and more scalable
  
  

One example stood out from Rene van Oosterdom, CFO at CLL Group in Auckland, who discussed his experience:

"At CLL Group, we came to our senses and moved from an ERP to a modern tech stack with Xero being the solid foundation to build on. As our finance team reduced from 9 to 3, it quickly became clear how we could handle everything with a smaller team through the right products solving the right solutions - Xero really does have so much potential with the right stack behind it!"

Thats more than 60% saving in the cost of the finance function purely on wages. Let alone the cost of the software itself. 

This is one of the unknown costs of ERPs. They don't only require huge amounts of time and energy to implement. They require huge teams to run and use them. 

Xero keeps things simple. 

Without giving anything up in terms of functionality, once the right techstack is around it - nearly anyone can use it. 

Hiring becomes easier, teams become lighter, and the close becomes quicker.

Xero as the foundation

Xero remains the strong system of record: the foundation, then the apps around it enable scale:

• Automation of complex month-end workflows
• Real-time visibility and reporting
• Controls, approvals and auditability
• Multi-entity and multi-currency operations

With the right architecture, finance teams aren’t constrained by Xero; they’re unlocked by it.

A shift that’s gaining momentum

What made this event different was the energy in the room.

There is a clear shift happening:

• From monolithic ERP thinking → to modular stack design
• From headcount-heavy finance teams → to automation-first operations
• From system limitations → to system architecture

And importantly, this shift is being driven by finance leaders themselves, not vendors.

Built with the ecosystem

The event also highlighted the power of the ecosystem coming together.

Alongside Xero, we heard from and connected with teams across the stack, including Mayday, Syft, Airwallex, and others, all playing a role in enabling this new model.

And, as always, the most valuable part? The conversations in the room.

From pre-event networking through to post-event drinks, it was clear that this is a movement gaining traction globally.

New Zealand heard the message

As Jack Thiel, APAC Lead at CFO Techstack and Mayday, put it:

“New Zealand has received the message loud and clear.

 

”They are the home of Xero. Businesses have grown up on Xero. They love Xero. But (until now) so many have overlooked Xero’s ability to scale with them. We’re excited to help change that conversation and show what’s possible when Xero sits at the heart of a modern finance stack.”

In Xero’s home market, where the product is most embedded, finance teams are now pushing it to its limits by building on top of it.

And, with the Xero NZ x Mayday Partnership now in place, that path is becoming clearer, and more accessible, than ever.

What’s next?

From Auckland to Sydney, London and beyond, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the future of finance is stack-first.

With Xero at the core + apps, finance teams can go further than ever before.

If you’re rethinking ERP, modernising your month-end, or simply asking how far Xero can really take you, you’re not alone.

And this is just the beginning. 🚀