Former owner of failed companies has new building firm
Monday, 13 July 2026
Two linked Timaru building and plumbing companies, which owe creditors just shy of $3 million, have liquidation updates due this month.
GFY Limited was placed into liquidation on June 12 last year, and Nexus Services Limited followed six weeks later on July 24.
It has emerged that, weeks before GFY was placed into liquidation and two months before Nexus followed, the former owner of the failed companies, Callum Bartlett, set up a new building and house construction company.
In releasing the six-monthly report for the GFY liquidation in April, the official assignee said an investigation indicated that the director’s son had “represented himself as the company’s director, despite not being the registered director”.
Murray Bartlett was listed as the sole director and shareholder of the company.
Bartlett’s son, Callum Bartlett, was a former director and shareholder having been appointed as a director from September 2021 until August 2022.
He had also been a shareholder in the company, at one time holding the majority of shares.
His father became the sole shareholder in July 2023, and remained the sole director and shareholder at the time the company was placed into liquidation.
In her report, the liquidator said she was considering referring the matter involving the director’s son to the Companies Registrar.
She also said there had been no contact from the registered director and was considering what action could be required to obtain his co-operation.
However, she said other “affected parties” had been forthcoming with information.
“The liquidator has received complaints regarding the conduct and activities of the company, its management, and individuals acting as de facto directors.
“Concerns have also been raised about work being carried out for the personal benefit of those with an interest in the company.”
GFY was put into liquidation at the request of Inland Revenue and owed its creditors more than $2.2 million.
A month later, plumbing firm Nexus Services Ltd was put into liquidation at the request of Auckland-based financial services provider Buffer Premium Ltd. At the time of the first six-monthly liquidator’s report, that company owed creditors more than $700,000.
Nexus Services, which was registered in September 2017, changed hands four months before it was placed in liquidation.
Company records, updated on March 14, 2025, show original director and shareholder Callum Bartlett and parent company Some Amigos Ltd (which he owned) were removed, with his father, Murray, acquiring a 100% shareholding.
Murray Bartlett was previously a director of that company for just over two weeks from August 1-16, 2022.
Just two weeks before GFY was placed into liquidation, and two months before Nexus followed, Callum Bartlett set up a new building and house construction company.
VDC NZ Ltd was incorporated on May 28, 2025, and he is listed as the sole director with the shares held by VDC Partnership.
A search of documents on the Companies Office showed the registered address of VDC Partnership was 175 Evans St, Timaru.
Bartlett was the sole signatory named on documents registering the shareholding of the company.
The address used by the company is the same address that housed Nexus branded shipping containers which sparked a complaint to the Timaru District Council in 2025.
‘I took over the family business’
Attempts to reach Callum Bartlett for comment have been unsuccessful, however when he appeared on an episode of a ‘Shark-tank’ inspired series for property investors in 2022 he shared details of the family business.
Produced by property investment firm Opes Partners, The Deal saw property developers from around New Zealand pitch their products to ‘deal makers’.
Bartlett appeared in the final episode in the first season of the show, which can be viewed on the company’s YouTube channel, with his pitch to build a 100sqm 3 bedroom town house at 24a Grants Rd in Marchwiel in 10 weeks.
Asked about Nexus Group, Bartlett explained that it had been a family business to start with.
“… it wasn’t called Nexus Group, it was a family business doing plumbing and drainage,” he said.
Bartlett told deal maker Slade Hocking, who also hailed from Timaru, that he had been doing property development “on the side”, before taking over the business.
“I took over the family business, rebranded it and ended up with multiple plumbers and ended up with builders in-house just doing bits and pieces for maintenance work, as well as doing my property development on the side, and then we started building the houses in house ourselves.”
Asked about his experience in developing property, Bartlett said he had about eight years’ experience and had about five or six projects on the go that year (2022).
He said his worked spanned everything from a $200k job to building a $1.5m property.
Bartlett described himself as being “in the group” of the town’s prolific developers, “I’m definitely there”, he said.
The second six monthly reports in both liquidations are expected this month, with the report for GFY for the six months to June 12, 2026, due first.
The list of known creditors of GFY Ltd included preferential creditors IRD and employees, and potential and known creditors, Bunnings, Humes Pipeline Systems, Firth Industries, Hireworx New Zealand and Speirs Finance.
And in the case of Nexus, companies across the country are listed as creditors alongside a number of Timaru companies including Dan Cosgrove Ltd, Glass Specialists Ltd, Heartland Containers Ltd and Heartland Technology Ltd.