Indebted taxi firm forced to liquidate

Southern City Taxis was forced into liquidation by the High Court yesterday in Dunedin. PHOTO:...
Southern City Taxis was forced into liquidation by the High Court yesterday in Dunedin. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON
A Dunedin taxi company has been forced into liquidation after failing to pay its debts.

Anthony Ware
Anthony Ware
Yesterday, AGWare Limited — which traded as Southern City Taxis — was liquidated in the High Court at Dunedin by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD).

IRD counsel David Tasker confirmed to the court that the debt remained unpaid.

The company did not make an appearance in court yesterday and owner Anthony "Starsky" Ware said in a statement it was sad to announce the liquidation of the company.

He believed it was one of the few private, locally owned companies left in New Zealand.

"But due to the changing lifestyle of many after lockdown, the new relaxed laws in the taxi industry, experiencing a time of costly mismanagement and being a small company having to provide a living wage to staff when the work is not constant has just become unsustainable.

"A continuing shortage of drivers and a decrease in work resulted in a Catch-22 situation," he said.

According to the companies office website, the business was first registered in 2016.

In 2018, Mr Ware and his wife, Janet Ware, purchased City United Taxis out of liquidation.

The business would continue to trade.

Vivian Fatupaito and Elizabeth Keen were appointed liquidators.

riley.kennedy@odt.co.nz

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