Building company owed $1.2 million
A collapsed Taranaki building firm has been reborn under a new boss after its predecessor went into liquidation owing creditors more than $1.2 million.
And Ivan Stanicich has promised to complete the eight builds that Fowler Homes Taranaki had on its books when it collapsed on November 9, less than a fortnight after its owner was arrested in a series of Labour Day drug raids.
Stanicich, the owner of the Christchurch franchise of Fowler Homes, registered a new company, Fowler Homes Taranaki Limited, last week with his wife Michelle.
The president of Canterbury Master Builders was in New Plymouth yesterday meeting subcontractors who have been left out of pocket. His visit followed one last week where he met with home owners.
‘‘We will finish those houses and I don’t believe it’s going to cost any of the clients a dollar,’’ he said.
Fowler Homes Taranaki was placed into liquidation on November 9 after owner Lauchlan James MacMillan was arrested by the region’s organised crime group.
Parent company Fowler Homes New Zealand severed ties with MacMillan’s business and Ecovis KGA Charter Accountants was appointed as liquidators.
The first liquidators’ report shows MacMillan’s business had liabilities of $1,210,543 to 84 creditors, while its assets totalled $1,041,442.
This leaves its books $169,101 in the red, but the figure is expected to increase.
‘‘What he [MacMillan] has done to his suppliers, contractors and friends is pretty hard for me to get my head around,’’ Stanicich said. ‘‘That’s why I think it was important for me to have this meeting with them.’’
Stanicich said work got under way again at one building site yesterday, was set to resume at another on Friday and all of the homes would be completed under the Master Builders 10-year Guarantee.
He said he was grateful to have the support of project manager Jason Werder during the tough time.
‘‘There was always going to be some delays, some pain, some concern from the clients absolutely but they all said ‘please don’t change the contractors, we are really happy with the work that they’ve done’.’’
He hoped the partnership would be able to re-establish Fowler Homes as a leading light in the region’s building industry.
In 2014 the company won Gold Awards for each of their three entries at the Registered Master Builders House of the Year awards, two of them won category wins, and then they went on to win the coveted Supreme Award and Craftsmanship Award.
‘‘That’s the primary reason for being here, there is a future, there must be a future here, I don’t accept because of Locky’s actions it’s tarnished Fowler Homes and everyone involved. These contractors are a big part of the awards he has received.’’
MacMillan remains in custody facing a raft of charges relating to the sale and supply of Class A drug methamphetamine, to which he has pleaded not guilty.