Our experienced team have the resources, knowledge and dedicated expertise to cut through complex issues and identify solutions.

Our personal approach ensures continuity, expertise and a deep understanding of your business. Our team understands your needs and objectives, and can provide you with proactive and pragmatic advice in the areas of:

• Valuations
• Litigation Support
• Relationship Property
• Investigations, Fraud and Financial Crime

Corporate Valuations
Any transaction, whether it’s selling all or part of a company’s equity, purchasing another company or issuing shares, is a significant event. Making sure that you give yourself the best chance for  success is essential.

We offer a comprehensive range of services including valuations, due diligence, tax, risk management, audit and other assurance services. This means we can help you in all areas, and our independence means you get unbiased advice on the merits of an opportunity.

How we can help:

• Purchase price allocations
• Due diligence
• Preparation or review of financial models
• Provide valuation reports and professional advice on the acquisition or disposal of businesses, or other assets

Litigation Support
Litigation and disputes are rarely simple, and are often unpredictable. We can support you and your lawyers through this by providing specialist advice and expertise, minimising the burden on your time and resources.

Our team has provided expert witness evidence assessing the quantum of disputes, including:

• Loss of profits
• Liquidated damages
• Breach of confidentiality
• Shareholder disputes
• Theft of IP
• Business interruption
• Contentious valuations
• Insolvency related issues
• Forensic tracing of monies

How we can help:

• Provide an independent expert witness report
• Calculate quantum arising from business disruption claims, loss of profits, economic loss
  and other damages
• Forensic engagements
• Provide specialist advice through negotiations, disputes resolution, and arbitration

Relationship Property
Proceedings under the Property (Relationships) Act (PRA) are complex and only get more complicated when you introduce businesses or other assets into the equation. Our Corporate Advisory team have regularly provided independent valuations as part of PRA proceedings and have been called to provide expert evidence.

Experienced in working on valuations involving:

• a disparity between the respective spouses’ knowledge
• significant uncertainty in the future performance of the business in question
• complex related party relationships
• groups made up of international companies and other complicating issues

How we can help:

• Provide an Independent Expert Witness Report or Shadow Expert Report
• Provide advice on the value of businesses, equity, and other financial assets
• Prepare calculations to evaluate a Section 15 claim
• Provide expert support through the Collaborative Law Process

Investigations, Fraud & Financial Crime
Fraudulent actions within a small or large business can have significant repercussions. These may result in crippling actions that could lead to the closure of a business or irreversible damage to an owner’s reputation.

With a ‘high-trust’ environment in New Zealand businesses, many employees have sole responsibility for the handling of finances, and therefore the temptation to deceive their employer is ever present. Often when the deception is identified, a significant amount of damage is already done – the financial viability of the business could be on a knife edge.

Business fraud in New Zealand annually extends into the millions. We understand the stressful situation that can arise when a business owner feels there has been a breach of trust. We will work quickly and effectively to determine whether any fraudulent activity has occured. You can depend on the Nexia New Zealand team to be respectful, empathetic, professional and thorough in their investigation and forensic accounting undertakings. We will provide advice on areas of potential concern and strategies to minimise the temptation to employees.

How we can help:

• Perform financial investigations and evaluating suspected fraud schemes
• Prepare fraud response plans, risk assessments, and designing appropriate controls
• Trace assets arising from known or suspected fraud and other financial misconduct

Meet our Corporate Advisory Team

Craig Melhuish is a Director at Nexia New Zealand Chair of the Board of Nexia Christchurch Limited (trading as Nexia New Zealand). Craig has worked on a variety of corporate services transactions, including valuations and expert witness reports. Craig has been frequently called upon to provide advice as to the value of a variety of businesses and shareholdings. He has conducted Forensic Accounting engagements since 2007, and been the named liquidator for more than 150 companies. Craig has also provided Expert Witness evidence to the Family, and High Courts of New Zealand.

Craig Melhuish Director

William Dawson is Nexia New Zealand's Corporate Advisory Manager. William has worked on a variety of corporate services transactions including relationship property, commercial litigation, arbitration and investigations. He has worked on engagements for companies in China, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, the USA and the Middle East.

William Dawson Manager

If you would like one of our Corporate Advisory Specialists
to contact you, click here.