Bernard Whimp remains defiant as FMA applies for more Chance Voight liquidations

Friday, 10 April 2026

The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has applied to the High Court to liquidate a further 25 entities associated with the Canterbury-based fund manager Chance Voight Group, founded by Bernard Whimp.

But in a statement, Whimp said the move would be defended and that a plan to restructure and save the fund management group was being prepared.

Chance Voight and five associated entities were placed into interim liquidation in December, following an FMA investigation, pending a three-day hearing starting on June 29 on whether the liquidations should go ahead.

The FMA previously said there was reason to believe the companies, which received around $45m from investors, were insolvent and had breached the Companies Act 1993, and other legislation.

Read More:

• Boss of embattled $45m investment group says liquidators are ‘fundamentally wrong’

• Regulator investigates Bernard Whimp’s Chance Voight after High Court appoints liquidator

• FMA warns potential Bernard Whimp or Chance Voight investors to ‘fully inform themselves’

Margot Gatland, FMA head of enforcement, said the moved follows receipt of the interim liquidators’ report, as well as its own ongoing investigations.

That report was subject to a court suppression order, Gatland said. The FMA had asked the court to lift the suppression, but it remained in place until 5pm on April 17. Whimp had opposed the release of the report, Gatland said.

In his statement, Whimp criticised the FMA and vowed to defend the application to liquidate the group.

“The opinion of the Chance Voight management is that Chance Voight was happily solvent prior to FMA appointing interim liquidators and was made insolvent by FMA through their actions,” it said.

“This aggressive FMA attempt to liquidate these entities before the hearing of the application to liquidate the parent company, will be defended. I imagine that this latest liquidation attempt will all be ‘punted off’ down the track for a defended hearing one day.”

A small Chance Voight team had been working on a restructure “for some time now”.

“We believe that the restructure will be in the best interests of depositors, that it is likely to have the support of depositors, that the restructure will offer an opportunity for depositors to be repaid their full principal investments over several years.”

The statement said the proposal has been refined it will be presented to the interim liquidators

“If the restructure is successful, then it is not likely that any Chance Voight entity will be placed in liquidation.”