Sharechat Logo

It's the $1 club

By Jock Anderson

Friday 8th September 2000

Text too small?
TAINUI TURNOVER: Warriors stiff-armed
A $1 sleight of hand by Tainui to divert the Warriors rugby league club from a possible liquidation sale has been uncovered.

Literally hours before the High Court appointed a liquidator over MDC Investment Holdings - the Tainui-owned parent of the Warriors - a $6.27 million debenture over the league club was assigned from MDC Investment Holdings to its parent, Tainui Group Holdings, for $1.

The assignment of the debenture was made without reference to, or the knowledge of, Graham Lowe and Malcolm Boyle who own a third of the Warriors.

Mr Boyle said he and Mr Lowe did not even know there was a debenture registered over the Warriors.

Mr Boyle and Mr Lowe were ousted from the Warriors board earlier this year when Tainui placed tribal financial affairs in the hands of corporate undertaker Michael Stiassny of Ferrier Hodgson.

Liquidator Anthony McCullagh, acting for ASB Bank, which is owed nearly $1 million by MDC Investment Holdings, described the move as "morally repugnant" and a blatant bid to deprive access to a saleable asset.

Late yesterday Messrs Boyle and Lowe invoked a shareholders' agreement and offered to buy MDC Investment Holdings' two-third stake in Rugby League People, the company that owns the Warriors, for $1.

Their offer and moves to overturn the assignment of the debenture were under consideration at press time.

The assignment was discovered as Mr McCullagh began searching for assets of MDC Investment Holdings - Tainui's high-risk but insolvent investment arm which effectively shut up shop last December.

It is understood it owes its Tainui Group Holdings parent between $18 million and $20 million.

MDC Investment Holdings owned or controlled at least 15 subsidiary companies.

  General Finance Advertising    

Comments from our readers

No comments yet

Add your comment:
Your name:
Your email:
Not displayed to the public
Comment:
Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved.

Related News:

SML - Synlait Milk Limited - Trading Halt of Securities
AIA - Auckland Airport announces board chair changes
AIA - Auckland Airport announces board chair changes
CEN - Tauhara commissioning progress update
FPH initiates voluntary limited recall
March 28th Morning Report
KFL Celebrates 20 Years of Excellence in Investment Mgmt.
SVR - Savor FY24 Earnings Guidance & Change in Banking Partner
NZK - NZ King Salmon Investments Limited FY24 Results
March 27th Morning Report