Business
Summary
The ad shows a bar chart titled "BUSINESS LIQUIDATIONS" with progressively taller bars from 2023 through 2026, alongside an image of Christopher Luxon. The chart cites the New Zealand Companies Office and describes the figures as a "July year," conveying the factual claim that business liquidations have risen substantially over that period. Official Companies Office data supports the overall upward trend in liquidator appointments and shows insolvency activity remaining elevated in 2026.
Official Companies Office data supports the ad's central claim that company liquidations have risen substantially since 2023. The figures establish the trend, but not that any particular government or policy caused it.
Score Breakdown
Factual accuracy
Weight: 40%
Context fairness
Weight: 30%
Evidence quality
Weight: 20%
Visual/audio fairness
Weight: 10%
What the ad gets right
- +Companies Office data shows a clear increase in liquidator appointments over recent years. For example, there were 1,818 appointments across the four quarters of 2023, compared with 2,476 in 2024 and 2,781 in 2025. ([Companies Office][1])
- +Liquidation activity remained high in 2026: Companies Office data records 669 liquidator appointments in the March quarter and 710 in the June quarter. ([Companies Office][1])
- +The Companies Office's monthly statistics specifically track liquidations, alongside receiverships and voluntary administrations, so it is an appropriate official source for the trend shown. ([Companies Office][1])
- +The Companies Office reported 297 companies being placed into liquidation, receivership or voluntary administration in July 2026, confirming that insolvency activity remained substantial. ([Companies Office][2])
What the ad gets wrong or leaves out
- −The graphic does not print the numerical value of each bar, making the exact figures difficult for viewers to check even though an official source is named.
- −The small phrase "July year" is not explained. Viewers could reasonably assume the bars represent calendar years when they appear to use 12-month periods ending in July.
- −The ad provides no context about why liquidations rose. Business failures can be affected by interest rates, inflation, weak demand, construction conditions, pandemic-era support ending and other economic factors; the chart itself does not establish a cause.
- −Placing Christopher Luxon's image directly over the 2026 bar visually associates the rise with him and his government, but the chart alone does not demonstrate that government policy caused the increase.
- −Liquidator appointments are a useful measure of insolvency but are not synonymous with every type of business closure; many companies cease trading or are removed from the register without entering liquidation. ([Companies Office][1])
Detailed Verdict
The central factual message is well supported: official Companies Office data shows substantially more liquidator appointments than several years ago, with insolvency activity still elevated in 2026. The main qualification is that the graphic gives little explanation of its measurement period and visually encourages a political attribution that the underlying figures alone cannot establish. ([Companies Office][1])
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