1. Costs - No Win No Fee! 

Having long standing relationships with all our overseas partners we have agreements to provide these services on a NO WIN NO FEE basis charging the agreed commission rate against monies recovered only. 

2. Coverage in New Zealand 

New Zealand is divided into 16 regions. Our local office is in Chirstchurch where we recover debts nationwide throughout all of New Zealand. 

3. Local Experience 

Unlike many of our competitors all cases are handled by the local office or partner. The reasons for this are they speak the debtors' language, in the case of New Zealand this is English spoken by almost all the population with Māori a second official language. We understand the local cultures and know all the legal processes. These are reasons why Creditreform are the ideal people to help you in collecting debts from overseas. 

4. Statute of Limitation in New Zealand 

6 years but there are many special exemptions so whatever the age please contact us and we will advise if we can assist with your claim 
Search a country below for debt collection: 

How to Instruct Us 

We simply require the following details: 
Full name & address of the debtor 
All available contact details of the debtor i.e. contact name(s) / Tel / Mobile / Email(s) 
Amount owed (Invoice(s) or Statement will help) 
PLEASE CALL US ON +44 121 442 5330 FOR FURTHER DETAILS 
Or ask us to call you – just leave us your details: 

New Zealand Debt Collection – No Win No Fee 

Creditreform operates a global specialist International debt collections service. We have local offices and fully approved expert international debt collection agency partners in every country worldwide. All our International debt collection agency partners and offices operate on a No Win No Fee basis charging an agreed commission against monies recovered only. All our international offices and partners initiate the collection processes by sending the debtors a debt collection letter to introduce their involvement. 
 
Main reasons why a local country debt recovery agency is so important rather than trying to recover from a debt collection agency UK are as follows: 
 
The local International Debt collection Partners know: 
 
The local cultures 
The best methods of initiating debt recovery letters and processes 
The languages 
The laws 
Are in the same time zones 
 
Herewith details of our debt collection service New Zealand: 

Location of debt recovery office in New Zealand? 

Christchurch. All debt collection letters are sent by the local head office. 

Number of debt collection staff? 

4 staff. Each staff member is allocated a client and all their debt collection letters are personalised in order to effect the best response result s from debtors. 

How long have you been operating a debt recovery service in New Zealand? 

We have been operating an Oceania/Pacific debt collection service on a no win no fee basis in New Zealand since 2011. New Zealand is included on our debt collection agency list

What type of debt collection services do you provide? Do you do commercial debt recovery (B2B) and consumer debt recovery (B2C)? 

We handle both Business to Business debt recovery cases and Business to Consumer debt collections cases. There is different content for business to business debt collection letter templates and business to consumer debt collection letters templates

Statue of Limitation in New Zealand? 

6 years from the date of last payment (not invoice). District / High Court Judgments 12 years. 
 
New Zealand civil litigation statute of limitations is a law that time limits a plaintiff’s right to bring a claim against a defendant. The statute of limitations in New Zealand is 6 years. However, if an action has been taken within this time then the statute of limitations time will be extended to account for this. Once the specified time period elapses then no action can be taken through the legal processes unless the plaintiff is able to prove exceptional circumstances. Other Statute of Limitations include: 
 
New Zealand Open Account Years – 6 years 
New Zealand Promissory Notes – 6 years 
New Zealand Written Contracts – 6 years 
New Zealand Oral Agreements – 6 years 

How EU (European Union) laws effect debt collection in New Zealand? 

There is limited impact for debt collection. 
 
New Zealand is in discussions over a free trade agreement (FTA) with European Union. Negotiations began in 2018 and were recently concluded in June 2022 but has not been signed yet. It is estimated that the FTA could boost the flow of goods and services by 30%. 

How many companies registries in New Zealand for businesses (i.e. UK has just 1 central registry)? 

There is 1 company registry in New Zealand which is called The New Zealand Companies Office located at Companies Office, Private Bag 92061, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142, New Zealand. 
 
We have access to New Zealand Company Registry searches to find out who further background information on all New Zealand companies. 

What is the debt collection process in New Zealand? 

B2C (Consumer) debts we need to ensure the subject can be 100% identified before pursuing 
B2B (Business) debts there are NO privacy issues unless a personal guarantee(s) is enforceable on a NZ Director(s) / Shareholder(s) 

Average length of time to collect a debt? 

The average time taken to recover a New Zealand B2B debt collection case varies from case to case. B2B pre legal we have a 48% success rate average paying days 57, B2C 100 + days 

Can late payment fees / interest to be added to claims? 

Can only legally be claimed and pursued for if the debtor completed i.e. Credit Account Application and duly noted and signed the appendix T’S & C’s. 
Whilst the creditor is legally entitle for reimbursement the debtor does not have to pay, unless these have been claimed and awarded in District / High Court sealed judgment. 

Details on legal service / process in New Zealand? 

For B2B debts if there is no guarantors then a Statutory Demand (under section 289 of The Companies Act can be issued providing the original debt (no added costs) is greater than $1,000. Generally you would not issue unless you are prepared to go the whole way and have them placed in liquidation, , most costs awarded on a successful action, but the creditor will remain unsecured unless holding security or charge on assets. Enforcement of judgments = Creditors Petition “Bankruptcy”, Order of Examination (conducted by a Deputy Registrar of the District Court) debtor gives FULL disclosure of their financial position [An order maybe made to pay the debt in full (lump sum) or time payment, the courts may also grant a attachment order if the judgment debtor is in paid employment or a government assistance benefit, generally not when the debtor is self-employed. District Warrant, order to seize assets, generally these are vehicles, Boats Jet Ski, personal effects and tools of trade will not be seized. If the judgment debtor owns property a charge can be registered, at extremes a charging order placed on the property a order for a forced sale, however, best that Bankruptcy Proceedings are commenced as not all sitting Judges grant charging orders. At times we also recognise and enforce overseas judgments. A great piece of legislation for the countries that fall under the Sovereignty the likes of UK, India [The Reciprocal Enforcements of Judgments Act 1934]. Yes we have had ex pats left huge debts behind in the UK come to NZ buy property etc and use that asset as a lien, the debtor(s) generally want to pay the debt without this action. We do many property searches this also includes any undeveloped land, we can search by name only and the entire country, in Australia you have to do State by State and rather expensive, here a basic property ownership will set clients back a small fee. If there are mortgages, charges etc, it would pay to obtain a copy of the Mortgage Instruments, these are expensive but will tell you how much they owe and then a financial decision can be made to go after the property or not in lieu of payment of the debt. 
 
Skip Tracing in New Zealand 
In recent months New Zealand privacy laws have got tougher to find transient debtors, some can be found on various databases but we are seeing more to utilise external skip tracers most work on a No Find No Fee basis. 

New Zealand Business Credit Reports 

Creditreform provides over 88 million international business credit reports throughout Europe and 200 million international business credit reports worldwide. We provide freshly investigated New Zealand Credit Reports which can be done prior to trading to make sure the company you will be dealing with can meet the commitment or once the debt becomes overdue to ensure the debtor can meet the amount owed. 

New Zealand Skip Tracing Agents 

Creditreform’s debt collection company service also uses expert local New Zealand tracing agent services to locate any absconded debtor. This debtor tracing service is provided on a No Find No Fee basis only charging for a successful trace. 

Specialist Debt Recovery Experts 

There are many unique requirements to recovering international debts in all countries including New Zealand debt collection services which differ from the UK and therefore it is very important that cases are handled directly by our expert international debt collection agency in that country and not from debt collectors UK only. This method of international debt collection sets Creditreform aside from the competition who in many cases try and recover debts from a UK debt collector only. Using the local offices and partners enables us to achieve a far greater success rate and our No Win No Fee service together with competitive commission rates against monies recovered only ensures you get the best service. 

New Zealand Debt Collection Partners in the following New Zealand Cities 

What is the legal system in New Zealand? 

The New Zealand legal system is based on English common law. 

What is the name of the Government Gazette in New Zealand? 

The Gazette in New Zealand is called the New Zealand Gazette. 

Who are the main trading partners for New Zealand? 

The main import and export partner for New Zealand are China, Australia, USA and Japan

Which countries border New Zealand? 

New Zealand is an island nation in Oceania which shares maritime borders with American Samoa, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Samoa, and Tonga

What is the Supreme Court in New Zealand? 

The Supreme Court of New Zealand (Māori: Te Kōti Mana Nui, lit. 'Court of Great Mana') which was established on 1st January 2004. 

New Zealand Debt Collection Agency FAQs 

1. How does a Debt collection agency in New Zealand recover overdue debts? 

The debt collection process is initiated by an introductory letter to your debtor stating the amount owed to you and informing them of our involvement. Letters are then followed up with emails and telephone calls. From our experience the most effective part of this process will be the outsourcing to a third party debt collection agency in New Zealand as the debtor now has to resolve the debt and can no longer hide or provide lame excuses. 

2. How long does the debt recovery agency in New Zealand take to process a case? 

The debt collection case will be processed immediately up receipt and a letter sent normally by email and post. You will receive an automated confirmation by return. 

3. What is the success rate for debt collection agencies in New Zealand? 

The success rate of the debt recovery case depends on a number of factors including the solvency of the debtor and whether the case has a legitimate dispute. Our aim is to recover every debt that is recoverable. 

4. Does the debt recovery agency in New Zealand operate a No Win No Fee debt collection? 

We take on all debt collection cases on No Win No Fee basis only charging the agreed commission against monies recovered. 

5. Why use a local debt recovery agency in New Zealand? 

The reasons for using a local New Zealand debt collection agency than processing from a different country is the debt collector in New Zealand speaks the local language, knows the local laws and operates in the same time zones. 

6. Are there any debts too old or too small for New Zealand debt collection? 

We will assess all debt cases, irrelevant of age and size and then advise the best processes to recover these through the New Zealand debt collector. 

7. How do I instruct the debt collectors in New Zealand? 

Instructing the debt collectors New Zealand is a simple process. You just email details of the debt, debtor and amount to be recovered and the case can be initiated. 

8. What evidence do I need to provide when instructing the New Zealand debt collector? 

When instructing the debt collector in New Zealand just provide copies of invoices/statements, debtor contact details and any relevant information you may have to assist with the recovery process. 

9. Who does the debtor pay? 

In general, the debt collector in New Zealand will request payments to be sent directly to the client but if not possible for any reasons will take payment directly. If payment is taken then cleared funds will be processed and sent to client straight away. 

10. Can I instruct multiple cases? 

You can send unlimited debt case instructions. Our systems will automate volume cases to meet your requirements. 

11. Can you trace debtors in New Zealand? 

Through our network of skip tracing agents we have an extremely high success rate of locating your absconded debtor. 

12. How long does the debt collection process take? 

On average the debt collections process takes 90 days to resolve an amicable debt recovery case. There are a number of factors that can delay this process but we will keep you informed every step of the way. 

13. What are my options if debt collection in New Zealand is not successful? 

If the debt recovery service is not successful, we will advise you of your options including legal actions. Please note no legal actions or other processes will be taken without prior instruction from you.