The liquidation follows the appointment of administrators to Ruapehu Mountain Transport Ltd (RMT) on August 21.
A notice published in the New Zealand Herald said administrators Benjamin Francis and Garry Whimp of Blacklock Rose Limited were appointed by a resolution of the company’s directors, and a first meeting of creditors was scheduled for September 2.
Companies Office records list the two companies as having the same sole director, Garth Petricevich, of Kaitaia.
Images online promoting RMT, which provides shuttle services to Mt Ruapehu ski fields and alpine attractions, show vehicles carrying Dune Rider and Sand Safaris branding.
In 2023, Sand Safaris was sentenced after the death of South Korean tourist Jin Chang Oh at Te Paki Sand Dunes in 2019. The company was ordered to pay more than $183,000 in reparation to Oh’s family and fined $200,000, while WorkSafe was awarded $23,000 in costs.
It remains unclear whether those amounts were paid before the company entered liquidation.
According to Stuff, WorkSafe had not received the $23,000 in costs awarded by the court.
The Northern Advocate sought comment from Petricevich on the liquidation, the relationship between the two companies and the ownership of assets associated with the Ruapehu operation.
A person who answered the phone at RMT confirmed receipt of the newspaper’s inquiries but did not address the questions raised.
KPMG director and joint liquidator Kristal Pihama said the Sand Safaris liquidation was still at an early stage.
“We’re still very early in the liquidation process and are not yet in a position to comment on the specific matters you’ve raised,” Pihama said.
She said the liquidators’ first report was expected within the next few weeks and would address a number of the topics raised by the Northern Advocate.
Blacklock Rose was approached for comment but did not respond before publication.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, much of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne.