Police are acknowledging complaints and reports made by furious parents who are facing large financial losses following the sudden collapse of Actura Australia Pty Ltd.
The company and its New Zealand subsidiary ran educational trips for school pupils to locations including NASA in the United States and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Several east Auckland schools and numerous local parents, many of whom are out of pocket more than $10,000, have been caught up in the situation.
In an email to parents, Actura Australia Pty Ltd chief executive officer Charles Chung said: “It is with regret and sadness that I must advise that Actura Australia Pty Ltd has with immediate effect gone into liquidation, today 14th June 2024.”
The Times contacted Actura NZ via email on June 15 about the company’s liquidation and received a reply stating: “Thank you for your email. Unfortunately Actura has ceased all operations. This inbox is no longer monitored.”
The Actura Australia website appears to have been taken offline.
Some of the parents have made reports and complaints to police and are dumfounded how the company could have collapsed without warning.
A police spokesperson told the Times: “Police would like to acknowledge the impact this situation has had on a number of people.
“These reports relate to this unfortunate incident and have been assessed by our staff.
“At this stage, based on the information received, the more appropriate course of action will be through civil proceedings.
“Police will be endeavouring to provide those people who filed reports with advice around appropriate channels they could pursue.”
Since breaking the news of Actura’s liquidation, the Times has received numerous emails from angry and confused parents from east Auckland as well as the North Shore, Orewa, Tauranga, Wellington, Otago and Australia.
One of the numerous local parents affected says his son attends Macleans College and was supposed to leave New Zealand on an Actura international study trip to the United States on July 8.
The family paid $13,500 and have no idea if they will be able to get any of the money back.
Macleans College principal Steven Hargreaves says he’s sorry to hear about the situation.
“I wasn’t aware any of our students had been caught up in the Actura collapse as we haven’t promoted Actura in school.
“I obviously wish the family all the best with recouping their money.”
Another local mother said she paid the full amount requested, more than $13,000.
“It is devastating news if the money is unable to be recovered,” she says.
A third local mother paid about $8000 for her son to go on one of the trips.
She says she believes there’s at least three school groups and one independent group in New Zealand that had been making monthly payments to Actura since late last year for the scheduled trips.
“I’m not aware that of any New Zealand-based trips that have gone ahead yet this year so where have all the New Zealanders’ money gone?
“My son was to go on the Senior Ocean School trip in October.
“I have friends whose children were paying toward the NASA trip and another woman I’ve met whose child was due to leave in three weeks for the Junior Ocean School trip.
“The kids are all devastated.”
