More than $54m is tied up in the collapse of investment companies directed by Bernard Whimp, who called himself NZ’s Donald Trump.
Following a Financial Markets Authority investigation, PwC confirmed the insolvent group raised funds mainly from investors aged 65 and over, leaving a $27.78m shortfall across core entities.
A Christchurch townhouse linked to a businessman who styles himself NZ’s Donald Trump
is heading to auction following the collapse of his corporate network, according to recent property reporting from OneRoof.
Bernard Whimp serves as the director of Chance Voight Investment Corporation Limited and 28 related entities that have been placed into liquidation, Stuff reported. The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) launched a formal investigation into the group last year after receiving multiple complaints, prompting authorities to seek court-ordered liquidations.
Insolvent Portfolios and Vulnerable Investors
An interim liquidator’s report prepared by PwC for the High Court of New Zealand revealed that most investors in the scheme appeared to be aged 65 years old and over, frequently lacking a full understanding of the risk profile associated with the products, according to OneRoof reporting. The report concluded that the companies were insolvent, leading the FMA to ask the High Court to place Chance Voight Investment Corporation and five core entities into liquidation.
A subsequent liquidator’s report covering those initial six companies put the total shortfall to creditors at $27.78m, while a further 23 entities linked to the group entered liquidation after courts found them insolvent or inactive. Teneo Financial Advisory representatives John Fisk, Lara Bennett, and Malcolm Hollis were appointed as liquidators to recover assets for the Chance Voight Group.
High-Yield Promises Against Real Estate Assets
Rangiora-based Chance Voight Investment Corporation Limited was established in 2021 with Whimp as its sole director. By December 2025, the firm had raised millions from the public through offers involving shares and debt securities, promising returns of up to 13% derived from real estate and ASX-listed shareholdings, as detailed by OneRoof.
Despite those high-yield targets, court judgments established that none of the assets produced material income for the group. By September 2025, the corporate structure held a negative net asset position.
Liquidators were tasked with realizing 11 residential and commercial properties alongside vacant sections located in or around Canterbury, as outlined in the PwC interim liquidation report. A three-bedroom, one-bathroom house located at 1/394 Papanui Road in Papanui represents the first of these assets to hit the market.
Public Defiance and Upcoming Real Estate Auctions
Marketed by Harcourts agent Tristram Harcourt, the David Allen architecturally designed home carries a rating valuation (RV) of $830,000 and last changed hands for $770,000 in March 2022. The property is scheduled to go to auction on October 21.
The collapse contrasts sharply with communications sent by Whimp earlier in the corporate proceedings. Stuff reported in January that Whimp emailed staff instructing them to return to work, writing that he was engaged in the most glorious punch-up
with the FMA and expressing enjoyment regarding his elevation to New Zealand’s ‘Donald Trump.’
With 29 total entities now liquidated and creditors facing multi-million-dollar shortfalls, the central question remains how much capital Teneo Financial Advisory’s liquidators can ultimately recover from the remaining Canterbury properties and sparse shareholdings to offset the $54m tied up in the failed corporate structure.