Christchurch Stirling Sports franchisee company owes $2.2m, faces probe
Wednesday, 15 July 2026
A company which owned two Christchurch-based Stirling Sports franchises owes its creditors more than twice what was originally estimated – and regulators are reportedly investigating the director’s actions.
Hamleigh Holdings Limited, which had owned Stirling Sports stores in The Palms and Northlands Shopping Centres, went into liquidation on October 28 last year.
The liquidator’s first report, filed just days later, said the company had become insolvent after a tough year, marked by weak sales and rising operating costs. At the time, Hamleigh’s debts were estimated to be about $760,000.
But in his six-month update, filed in late May, liquidator Brenton Hunt said there was now an estimated total shortfall of $2.2 million. More than $2m of it was owed to unsecured creditors, which the report said was “higher than estimated”.
These unsecured creditors had made 13 claims total. Inland Revenue also had one claim in for just over $30,000, while there were three other claims in from secured creditors totalling about $164,000. Among those listed in the report were Nike, Puma, Adidas, Dynasty Sport, and Mackersy Northlands – which owns Northlands mall.
About $97,000 had been raised by selling off equipment and stock, and some of what Hamleigh Holdings had originally owed had already been distributed, the report showed.
This included $19,600 paid out to staff for wages and holiday pay, and nearly $35,000 paid out to other creditors. After all other sell-offs and pay-outs completed ahead of the second report, it had about $14,000 in closing funds on hand.
The liquidation was expected to be completed within the next six months, Hunt wrote, but it was “not likely the unsecured creditors will receive a dividend upon the completion of the liquidation”.
The report also noted there was an “investigation ongoing of the director's actions and potential breaches of the Companies Act 1993”.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has been approached.
Stirling Sports Franchise Limited owner Mark Anderson declined to comment, saying it was a personal matter for their franchise partner.
According to the Companies Office, Hamleigh Holdings’ sole director was Simon Leigh.
When the company first became insolvent, Anderson told The Press it had reflected a “very difficult set of circumstances” for the Christchurch stores’ owner.
“Unfortunately, one of the malls lost Kmart, and the other lost Pak’nSave,” Anderson said.
“It was incredibly tough when you’ve got major tenants leaving malls like that, and the landlords wouldn’t support lower rentals, given the drop in foot traffic.”
Anderson stressed at the time the liquidation affected only those two Christchurch stores, and not other franchisees.
“There are around 60 franchisees nationwide, with a number of new doors open recently,” he said.
“[But] it’s been hard for everyone in business, and indeed, all the consumers. Inflation has affected consumer demand for everyone.”