J.G. Henderson & Son Ltd was established in 1892 and provided funeral services in Balclutha until 2018.
The company’s sole director, Kevin Henderson, ran the business for 55 years before retiring — it was run by his father and grandfather before him.
The company was placed into liquidation in the High Court at Dunedin in February on the application of the commissioner of Inland Revenue.
The liquidator’s first report listed the total estimated claims as $329,899.23 — including $206,539.09 in unsecured claims.
"The cause of this liquidation appears to be related to a failure to account for taxation," it said.
It was confirmed to the Otago Daily Times the company had not been operating for some time.
It is also understood there are no assets available.
Mr Henderson has been approached for comment.
It was reported in December 2017 that Mr Henderson — one of Balclutha’s longest-serving funeral directors — and his wife Pam, also a former company director, were retiring.
He started in the job when he was 16 and embarked on a 10,000-hour apprenticeship.
The decision to close the business was not an easy one; at the time, Mr Henderson described it as "a bit of a hard one to swallow".
The business was one of a few in South Otago that still produced its own coffins.
It had also been contracted by other funeral services firms in Otago to manufacture coffins.
An Insolvency and Trustee Service spokesperson said the investigation was continuing and the liquidator expected it to be completed in the next month or two.
