Company Insolvencies – Liquidations, Receiverships, and Voluntary Administrations Company insolvency appointments for July 2023 combined across all insolvency types have come in just under 2019 levels. Court liquidations remain a driver for these increased levels. This increase is following continued strong winding up applications driven by the IRD and its recovery efforts. As a percentage share of appointments, the figures have remained consistent from last month. Total corporate insolvency figures for the year to date continued to sit just behind 2019 figures. The slower start to the years insolvency appointments has yet to be recovered from. While court liquidations have dropped slightly as an overall percentage they still remain above their long team average so remain a large portion of…

In corporate insolvency, two common terms often arise: liquidation and receivership. For businesses facing financial distress in New Zealand, it is helpful to understand the distinctions between these two processes. To gain an understanding we explore the disparities between liquidation and receivership, shedding light on their respective implications and outcomes. Liquidation: The Dissolution of a Company Liquidation, also commonly referred to as winding up, is a formal process that leads to the dissolution of a company. It is typically employed when a company is no longer able to pay its debts and is deemed insolvent. It is also used by solvent companies that have made capital gains and seek to distribute the capital gain tax free on liquidation. The objective…

Company Insolvencies – Liquidations, Receiverships, and Voluntary Administrations Company insolvency appointments for June 2023 combined across all insolvency types have beaten out all past years shown in the above graph back to 2019. Court liquidations have been a driver for these increased levels showing the highest figures since prior to 2020 with 59 appointments. This increase is following a number of months or stronger than usual winding up applications lead in part by IRD and its recent drive to collect delinquent debtors. Whether this level of court appointments will continue into the election only time will tell what IRD does, or if shareholder appointments will continue to grow due to an ongoing cost of living crisis and general price increases.…

Economic recap April saw the latest inflation figures released for the year to March 2023 showing a drop from the highs seen in the last two periods. The bulk of this drop in inflation however was from international factors while domestic figures remained elevated. Because of this and a number of other reasons the Reserve Bank has continued on their track whacking on a further 50 basis point rise to the OCR. We expect to see a final 25 basis points at the next meeting. Comparatively Australia has seen their OCR drop, it is expected we will not see this for some time in NZ. The percentage of mortgage lending that remains at fixed rates is considerably higher in NZ,…

Economic recap Figures released in March saw the New Zealand economy gross domestic product (GDP) fall 0.6% in the last three months of 2022, after a 1.7% rise in the September 2022 quarter. The drop at the close of the year was larger than predicted by many of New Zealand banks and a number of economists. Annually, GDP is up 2.4% year on year, unemployment remains low, at 3.3%. Two large banks in the United States with significant exposure to the technology sector failed, while another entered liquidation under financial distress. These banks were Silvergate Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, and Signature Bank. Outside the United States, Credit Suisse joined the above 3 banks finding themselves in difficulty, the difference here…

Economic recap February saw another lift in the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points, with a further 75 basis points expected to be added this year. The language from the reserve bank indicated that they had not seen the expected signs in inflation pull back and were continuing on their chosen path from 2022 to get inflation under control as quickly as possible. The extreme weather events experienced in January continued into February with considerable damage to parts of the North Island. While the immediate effects have been considerable in certain areas the long term effects and costs will have wide reaching repercussions as additional spend will be necessary and likely increase demand on limited supplies and pressure on…

Economic recap Inflation has remained constant in the final quarter of 2022 at 7.2 the same as at the end of the third quarter in 2022, it is still down from the 7.3 high point seen during 2022. While economists and the Reserve Bank were hoping for a drop this factor will be weighing on the Reserve Banks mind in its ongoing fight against getting inflation back to its 1%- 3% target band. While other developed countries across the world begin to see inflation coming under control we are not yet there in New Zealand. Coupled with the elevated inflation we have business confidence at all-time lows as seen in surveys run at the end of 2022 and through January…

Economic recap The OCR continues its march on an upwards trajectory, with the latest Reserve Bank rise of 75 basis points to 4.25 and a supporting narrative outlining future raises in 2023 of up to 125 basis points to bring the OCR to 5.0 and over. From an economic perspective there continue to be a number of factors affecting businesses. The labour crunch remains with immigration not making up for the continued brain drain as people leave on OE’s or delayed travel plans. Shipping and product delays continue with China’s lockdowns as they struggle to grapple with a continued covid outbreak. On the construction front while councils continue to catch up on the backlog of buildings consents keeping the monthly…

Economic recap With the third quarter of 2022 inflation results coming in at 7.2 well above a number of economists and banks predictions of 6.5 we will likely be seeing jumps in the OCR at a steeper rate than expected with the next rate rise projected to be 75 – 100 basis points up from the prior estimation of 50 points. This will keep the pressure on homeowners with mortgages and businesses with lending as consumers role off fixed rates. With inflation well above the target levels of 1%-3% business continue to struggle on with constrained capacity and labour issues. Leading into the Christmas period we will no doubt see the seasonal jump in retail sales followed by regional growth…

Economic recap The NZ economy managed to dodge a formal recession (2 consecutive drops in GDP) in the 2nd quarter of 2022 with a lift in GDP following negative GDP in the 1st quarter. While the economy may not be in a formal recession there remain a number of challenges affecting NZ businesses from issues sourcing product to increasing inflation, interest rates and decreasing domestic spending as New Zealanders look to travel for the first time in 2 years. Businesses continue to have trouble to find the necessary staff with low unemployment levels continuing. Of note is the speedily decreasing value of the NZD when compared with other currencies. This will make importing goods and services more expensive for businesses…

It’s important to address disputed debt as soon as possible. This will more likely lead to a positive outcome and enable you to rescue your business relationship. You cannot recover a debt via a statutory demand if the debt is disputed. And, of course, you need cash to continue to operate, so it’s important to find a solution quickly. Below, we outline the three steps to settling disputed debt: FIRST: PREVENTING DEBT DISPUTES WITH STRONG IN-HOUSE CREDIT CONTROL AND TERMS OF TRADE Of course, the best way to minimise disputed debt is to avoid the situation where disputes can arise in the first place. Many disputes can be avoided by good record keeping. Clear terms of trade and customer credit…

Economic recap We make our way through another winter month where we finally saw the NZ boarder fully re-open for the first time since 2020, this has helped our net migration, but levels remain lower that pre pandemic. We also saw our first cruise ship landed back in the Auckland CBD since 2020 making news stories across the country. There remain a number of adverse factors affecting businesses starting with a weakening NZ dollar, staff shortages continuing, the seasonal downturn in industries during the winter months coupled with the sports related downturn resulting from the All Blacks continued losing and patch performances. Coupled with overseas influences of China’s covid policies affecting supply chains along with the ongoing war in Ukraine…