Container Pools NZ goes into liquidation owing more than $3 million
New Zealand modular pool builder, Containerpools Limited trading as Container Pools NZ, has gone into liquidation.
The company website is no longer operating and the Google Review posts contain a litany of complaints about undelivered pools and equipment.
The company is registered at Albany, Auckland, with the director listed as Joel Michael Gordon Painter and other shareholders as Michael Painter, Nicola Louise Painter and Louise Nicola Painter. There are also other similarly named companies with some of the same directors and shareholders that are not currently marked by the Companies Office as being in liquidation, including ContainerpoolsNZ Limited, Container Pools International Limited and Containerpools Franchising Limited.
Liquidator Derek Ah Sam of Rodgers Reidy Limited says more information will become available as the process continues, but at the moment, based on the company’s internal systems, it appears that there will be approximately $NZ3.5 million dollars owed to creditors. This includes finance companies and banks who are secured creditors and would be paid before consumers and other unsecured creditors.
He says these procedures can take considerable time to get some recompense, especially if action is needed.
“It could be years,” he says.
Additionally, the initial Liquidators Report says the liquidators are aware of preferential employee claims for unpaid wages and holiday pay totalling $NZ49,653, as well as a preferential claim from the Inland Revenue Department for outstanding tax obligations in respect to GST of $NZ147,565.77.
Reports in the New Zealand media and on Facebook claim there are more than 50 consumers waiting on their pools to be delivered, with $NZ833,000 owing to suppliers.
Some of the consumer creditors have reportedly met with an alternative liquidator, Waterstone Insolvency, in the hope of retrieving more of their money, according to a report in Stuff NZ. Waterstone director Adam Botterill was reported in Stuff NZ as saying a good result for the customers would be getting 20 per cent to 25 per cent of their money back.
However Rodgers Reidy remains the appointed liquidator. The most recent financial statements that the liquidators have received is for the period ended 31 March 2022.
Contact Derek Ah Sam at Dahsam@rodgersreidy.co.nz if you have any specific enquiries. Liquidators can only act on written information as telephone or other
conversations will be regarded as hearsay by any Court.
A Facebook page has been set up for affected consumers.
SPLASH! will update this story as more information becomes available.
Customer assistance
Meanwhile Ultimate Pools have offered to help affected consumers, pledging to deliver a discounted swimming pool package to clients in their area who have a contract which was not fulfilled by Container Pools Ltd.
Joining Ultimate Pools in this endeavour are Dolphin Pacific Ltd, Space Industries, Austral Pool & Spa Products, Glass Vice Products and Watermaid NZ, offering robotic cleaners, chlorinators, heat pumps and pool fencing at reduced rates for those affected.
Image: Container Pools NZ, Google Reviews
