The bankruptcy proceedings against former All Black Andrew Mehrtens have been withdrawn.

The 70-test All Black did not appear when the matter was briefly called in the High Court at Christchurch on Thursday morning.

Saunders Robinson Brown had sought to bankrupt Mehrtens over an undisclosed debt.

But at a hearing in July the court heard Mehrtens had signed a settlement agreement with the law firm minutes before the matter was called.

The hearing was dealt with in seconds on Thursday.

"Grant leave to discontinue. No orders as to costs," Associate Judge Bill Gambrill said, before the next matter was called.

Mehrtens was considered one of the most influential first five-eighths in New Zealand rugby history.

He played 70 tests between 1995 and 2004 and is the second-highest points scorer in All Blacks history with 967 in tests.

He played for the Crusaders for about a decade from the mid 1990s, winning five Super Rugby titles with the Christchurch-based team.