How do I tell if my builder is in liquidation in NZ?
Short answer
Look the company up in the NZ Gazette and the Companies Office. A liquidator's appointment is published in the Gazette within working days. The Companies Office shows the current status — 'In Liquidation', 'In Receivership', or 'Removed'. If your builder is mid-build and any of these appear, stop further payments and get legal advice before the next progress claim.
Key facts
- Liquidation appointments are public — they're published in the Gazette by law
- Companies Office updates the status field within a day of the formal appointment
- Receivership and liquidation are different — receivership is usually a secured creditor (often a bank); liquidation is the end of the company
- If your builder is in liquidation, you usually become an unsecured creditor for the deposit already paid
Where to look
Gazette: search gazette.govt.nz for the company name. Liquidation notices use notice codes 'aw' (general liquidation appointment) and 'al' (creditors' meeting). Receivership uses 'ba' and 'ar'.
Companies Office: companiesregister.companiesoffice.govt.nz, then look at the 'Status' field. 'In Liquidation' means the formal process has started. The page also lists the liquidator's name and the date appointed.
What to do if you find one
Stop any pending payments. Even if you've signed the contract, payments made after the liquidator is appointed go into a pool — your deposit is unlikely to come back in full.
Contact the liquidator (their name is on the Companies Office page). They control the company now, not the original directors.
If you have a Master Build Guarantee or NZCB Halo policy, contact the issuer immediately. There's usually a strict notification window.
Get legal advice. A construction lawyer or Community Law for a 30-minute scope is usually enough to set direction.
The 'phoenix' pattern
A small number of directors liquidate one company and immediately start a new one with a similar name and the same staff. There's no NZ law against this on its own. You can spot the pattern by checking the director's history on the Companies Office — every NZ director has a list of all their past directorships, including liquidated ones.
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Related questions
Sources: Companies Act 1993, Part 16 (Liquidations); Receiverships Act 1993; NZ Gazette — gazette.govt.nz; Companies Office — companiesregister.companiesoffice.govt.nz. General information for NZ homeowners, not legal advice — building rules change and vary by council, so confirm critical details on the official source before acting. Last updated 2026-05.