Former South Canterbury emerging leader’s company in liquidation

Thursday, 9 January 2025

Cassandra Knox, who also goes by the name Cassandra Slumskie, is the sole director and 95% shareholder of Trinity Employment Services.

This story was originally published on July 10, 2024

A recruitment company whose owner was celebrated as an emerging leader by South Canterbury’s business community is in liquidation owing more than $1.5 million to Inland Revenue.

Trinity Employment Services Ltd, which operated as an employment placement business since 2021, had offices in Timaru and Rolleston.

It was placed into liquidation in the High Court at Christchurch on May 30 at the request of the tax department.

Cassandra Knox is listed as the sole director of the company and owns a 95% stake. According to Companies Office records, Jake Slumskie owns 5% of the company. Knox also goes under the name Cassandra Slumskie.

The Official Assignee was appointed liquidator, and Christchurch-based insolvency officer Justine Kneale is handling the case. She released her first report this week.

Trinity Employment Services had offices at The Complex in Washdyke, pictured, and in Rolleston.

In her report, the reasons given for the liquidation include a failure to provide for taxation, and economic factors affecting the industry.

Preferential creditors included Inland Revenue, which was owed $1.55m, and employees, who have claims totalling $25,056.

The report said creditor costs and disbursements were still to be determined.

There were 18 known and potential unsecured creditors including Blueprint Media, Branded Kiwi, Complete Credit Acquisition, Debtworks (NZ) Ltd, Inland Revenue, Nelson Petroleum Distributors Ltd, Renee Cleaning Company Ltd, Seek (NZ) Ltd, and Westland Dairy Company Ltd.

Kneale said the business had been closed and staff employment agreements terminated. The sale of remaining assets was under way.

The Trinity Employment Services logo, left, next to the Elite Employment logo.

The report showed the company has $769.44 in cash in the bank. Equipment would be sold once it had been valued.

The liquidation was expected to be completed by December 2.

Economy is out of recession but not booming.

Knox was celebrated in 2022, winning the Emerging Leader award at the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards.

A citation described her as someone who “leads by example” and said she had made Trinity a workplace where her team members felt valued.

On the same day that Trinity Employment Services was put into liquidation, Knox registered another company, Elite Employment Services.

The new company is listed as an employment placement service, and its website uses a similar stag antler logo to that used by Trinity.

Trinity Employment Services Ltd was placed into liquidation at the request of IRD.

Knox is listed as the sole shareholder and director of that company under the surname Slumskie.

Her new website references the award she won in 2022.

Knox has been approached for comment.

The move follows other recent company liquidations in South Canterbury. In March, Timaru employment agency Staff Services Ltd was placed into liquidation.

Earlier in the month, Waipopo Limited Partnership, the owner of South Canterbury’s Waipopo Orchards, went into receivership owing millions of dollars to a bank, and Timaru-based building company New Zealand Carpentry Ltd was placed into liquidation.

In May, finance and credit expert Keith McLaughlin told The Timaru Herald it would be a difficult winter for many in business in South Canterbury, as interest rates continued to rise, consumer spending weakened, and the number of jobs being advertised remained well down.