Who Wins Here ?
In life , we need to pay our bills . I'll start from that point . Occassionally , stuff happens , and most people work through things .
I was saddened to read in the weekend ( on Stuff ) about a guy called Lloyd Green . I don't know this guy by the way .
He owned a company called Great Barrier Rental Cars . He had owned it for 20 years . He refused to pay a mechanic somewhere between $5000-7000 , disputing the quality of the work . He was advised the day before it went to court that this guy was taking him to court -- apparently the papers were sent to his old address , which was his ex-wifes house . We can only guess what happened .
Anyway , the next day it went to court , he wasn't fully prepared , the Judge believed the other guy , or this Lloyd guy didn't put up a strong case , or whatever , and he was ordered to pay about $10,000 including the other guys legal fees . He lost .
He didn't/couldn't pay -- presumably part out of spite , but to be fair it does sound like he was short of money , so the Court ordered his business be liquidated . He was then ( at 57 ) out of work , with no income .
He committed suicide .
The business was liquidated . All the assets ( cars ) were sold . All secured creditors were paid . The liquidator billed $119,000 , but only got paid $78,000 as there was no more money . Unsecured creditors were $50,000 ( presumably including the $10k court ordered debt ) , and the IRD $7000 . That may be GST on the sale of vehicles , or it may have been owing for months , it isn't clear .
So one guy ( a divorced/seperated Dad ) is dead . The unsecured creditors and IRD are $57k out of pocket . But you will have noticed that the liquidator got $78k . Which means every debt , without her involvement ( the liquidator was a female ) , would have been paid . It is fair to assume that as a trading company , the debts could have all been paid , and this Lloyd Green would have still been alive . It may have taken time , and I accept we don't know the full circumstances .
But I also fail to understand how a business with $57,000 in debts can be charged $119,000 by a liquidator to 'wind it up' . She may argue she did her job and was paid the allowed rate for the hours worked , and that her job was made more difficult by the fact the guy had died . But surely common sense would kick in somewhere ?
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Will these roadworks affect you?
Don’t expect a quick trip between Cambridge and Tamahere for much of this year, because major roadworks are starting.
Asphalt works on that section of Waikato Expressway will run from March through to late 2026, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says. Motorists are warned to plan for significant delays.
“Unfortunately the pavement, particularly in the slow lanes, has deteriorated faster than expected,” NZTA’s Roger Brady said.
Will these roadworks affect you? Tell us more in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).
Loading…
