Tiny home company in liquidation
After ‘‘constantly battling’’ rising building costs and supply chain issues, a tiny home company that had hoped to help provide relief to New Zealand’s housing crisis has gone into liquidation.
NZ Tiny Homes was founded by Jamie Cameron and his then-wife Kylie Thomson in 2018, as a way to help people trying to get on to the property ladder.
But constant supply chain issues and the rising cost of building materials, which Cameron said had easily gone up 50% since the pandemic, meant it was no longer feasible to continue to operate.
‘‘When you get constant delays and constant disruptions over the last two years you’re constantly battling.’’
‘‘I can’t believe the amount of obstacles that have been thrown at us.’’
Tony Maginness of Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Auckland has been appointed liquidator and the liquidator’s report would be available next week.
Maginness said it was ‘‘too early to tell’’ how much debt the company had, but he would have a more accurate picture when the report was published next week.
Thomson has since left the business.
The head office and manufacturing plant is based in New Plymouth and finished homes were trucked to buyers throughout the North Island.
The company initially had sales agents throughout the North Island, before expanding to the South Island. It had an agreement with NZ Tiny Homes Mainland to market, build and sell NZ Tiny Homes designs in the South Island but the two are separate companies.
The business grew by 500% in 2019, building 50 homes in 10 months, thanks to the skyrocketing demand for downsizing as a way to beat the soaring property prices.
‘‘It’s so disappointing we’re turning people away who want to buy homes from us because of this,’’ he said.
‘‘But it got to a point where we couldn’t deliver because we kept getting delays, and it was incredibly hard.’’
Cameron said he was focusing on delivering finished homes for current clients and making sure his team of 11 builders were looked after.
He understood there were some ‘‘interested parties’’ who were looking to finish off six builds that were almost complete, and then take over the business. There were three builds that were about to be started. ‘‘We are working through how to carry on and finish those,’’ he said.
Cameron had laid off most staff, but he said things could change, and they might be needed to help finish off the incomplete homes.