Deloitte, now on Queen St in Auckland, issued first receivers' report.
A national construction labour force business with 11 offices and more than 1000 staff and contract workers has gone into receivership five days before Christmas with the loss of “many” jobs.
Deloitte’s Rob Campbell wrote to customers of ELE Holdings saying how “we are mindful of the many employees whoseemployment was required to be terminated”.
“There are over 10 sites nationwide and the number of staff, workers and contractors is 1000-plus,” a Deloitte spokeswoman said.
ELE was a global recruiter which went overseas to fill jobs in this country and got support from the Ministry of Social Development to get people into skilled work.
Related transport business Tranzport Solutions is also in receivership and would no longer be able to provide any services, he wrote.
“We appreciate the effect this may have on your business and are also mindful of the many employees whose employment was required to be terminated,” Campbell said today.
Campbell said another related company, ELE Security was not in receivership “and continued to trade normally”.
ELE Holdings is owned by Brent Edward Mulholland who is listed on the Companies Office as being of Tauranga and Paraparaumu and Vicky-lee Mulholland of Paraparaumu. Tranzport Solutions is owned by ELE Holdings.
Campbell is a joint receiver of the two companies with David Webb and they plan an orderly wind-down of the two companies’ affairs.
ELE says it has 11 offices, national coverage and “over 1000 contract workers employed over a range of market sectors”.
Those include the building, civil, engineering, transport, horticulture and healthcare sectors.
Just last month, ELE told of strong demand from people wanting to join its skilled labour forces.
“We have had a serious uptick in the number of skilled carpenters, experienced hammer hands and labourers contacting us looking for new projects to work on, especially in Auckland, the Bay of Plenty and Waikato,” it said on November 13.
On October 5, it reported the first group of 13 Māori trade trainees in Auckland.
Work and Income shows ELE got $3.8m wage subsidies for between 410 and 541 people when the pandemic and lockdowns hit.
Tranzport Solutions got $260,000 Covid cash for 38 employees when the pandemic hit in 2020.
“ELE searches internationally to find the right people for jobs in this country,” it says.
It advertises a “personalised recruitment process, high-quality candidates, proven recruitment results and a partnership approach”.
It had accreditation to undertake its work and says it has offices in west, central and south Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Kapiti, Wellington, Greymouth, Christchurch, Timaru and Dunedin.
“Our first major ELE pathways program is supported by the Ministry of Social Development Māori trades and training program,” the business said.
“This pre-apprenticeship program is designed to train 120 Māori trainees in the Tāmaki Makaurau region over the next 24 months. The goal is to transition them into an ELE apprenticeship,” it said.
The scheme was culturally aware, designed in collaboration with Māori stakeholders and addressed barriers to challenges, ELE says.
The Herald has made attempts to contact Mulholland but with no immediate response.
Deloitte’s Campbell said he would be in touch with parties to collect outstanding money for ELE and Tranzport Solutions.
He would write to them soon about money due to the companies, he said.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 23 years, has won many awards, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.