Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,

Since 2009 have there been any cases of the Insolvency and Trustee Services seizing property and assets located abroad from those New Zealanders who went bankrupt. Of special interest is those New Zealanders who went bankrupt for the sole purpose of wiping their outstanding student loan obligations to the Inland Revenue Department.

Please provide the number of cases where the IRD was the sole debtor in bankruptcy cases where overseas assets and properties were seized and in which country the assets were seized. I am interested to see how this has changed over the last five years.

Could you also provide the legal mechanism or process for other sovereign governments to cooperate with the relevant New Zealand ministries involved in recouping this student debt. I.e. How does the relevant government ministry go about getting a bankrupt debtor to pay their debts when bankrupt in New Zealand but living abroad?

Yours faithfully,

Jason Hewings

Dear Robyn Cox,

Thanks you very much for answering my request for information.

Yours sincerely,

Jason Hewings