Amandeep Singh’s Top Produce & Ajaypal Singh’s Gurukirpa/Saran face million dollar kiwifruit tax debts
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Two separate cases involving Bay of Plenty kiwifruit labour contractors have highlighted ongoing compliance issues in the industry, with Top Produce now owing $1.5 million to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD), and the earlier collapse of Gurukirpa Contracting Ltd and Saran Contracting Ltd revealing alleged unpaid taxes of $57 million. The cases, reported by the Herald, highlight both the challenges the government faces in enforcing tax and labour compliance, and the measures the kiwifruit community is taking to prevent exploitation of seasonal workers.
Amandeep Singh, sole shareholder and director of Bay of Plenty kiwifruit labour contractor Top Produce, now faces a $1.5 million debt to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) as the company enters liquidation following compliance and overdue staff payment issues, The New Zealand Herald has reported.
Top Produce, incorporated in 2019 to supply seasonal workers to the kiwifruit industry, was placed into liquidation on 4 March 2026, when Singh appointed Reynolds & Associates liquidator Grant Reynolds.
In his first liquidation report, Reynolds said he has so far been unable to locate financial records or identify any company‑owned assets, including bank accounts or financial statements, Herald reported.
Three secured creditors, Farmlands Co‑operative Society, Prospa, and Farmlands Finance, have claims over present and future acquired personal property, though the specific amounts owed remain unquantified.
The bulk of Top Produce’s identified debts are owed to the IRD. Under preferential claims, the tax authority is owed $689,031 for GST and PAYE obligations, with an additional $811,611 in unsecured liabilities, bringing the total IRD debt to approximately $1.5 million. Employee claims are listed as preferential but have not yet been declared.
Reynolds said it is too early to estimate whether dividends will be paid to creditors or when the liquidation will be completed, Herald reported. Singh is currently in India.
Ajaypal Singh's Gurukirpa Contracting Ltd and Saran Contracting Ltd face alleged $57m tax debt
A similar case was brought to light ealier this month where two Bay of Plenty businesses owned by Ajaypal Singh that supplied labour to kiwifruit orchards have been placed into liquidation, allegedly owing $57 million in unpaid taxes, in what appears to be the largest business collapse in New Zealand in 2025, the Herald reported on 3 March.
The companies, Gurukirpa Contracting Ltd and Saran Contracting Ltd, were owned and operated by the same person, Ajaypal Singh. Both businesses were placed into liquidation by the High Court at Tauranga following separate applications by Inland Revenue (IRD) late last year.
Singh told the Herald that he disputed the tax debts claimed by IRD but could not afford to fight the case in court. He described the situation as very stressful for him and his family.
According to the final liquidation report filed by the Official Assignee in December, Gurukirpa Contracting owed $9,411,130 in unpaid tax. Singh failed to file the company’s statement of affairs, and the business was liquidated without any assets being discovered to repay the debt.
The liquidation of Saran Contracting Ltd is ongoing, Herald reported.
Its first liquidation report filed in December indicated $48,017,782 owed to IRD. James Betton of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE) told Herald that the liquidator is conducting searches and investigations to locate any assets, with the next report due in June.
As a director of at least two failed companies in the past five years, Singh will be referred to the director prohibition team for consideration of disqualification, Betton added.
The Herald report mentioned that the IRD investigation into the alleged $57 million in unpaid tax was prompted by Zespri, the kiwifruit marketer, which investigates labour exploitation on behalf of New Zealand growers. Zespri uses specialist investigators to identify illegal practices, such as paying migrant workers cash under the table, and blacklists alleged offenders from the industry.
Kiwifruit growers and contractors must meet internationally recognised standards for worker health, safety, and welfare, and comply with Zespri’s code of conduct. Contractors are examined by the investigation consultancy AIM CRI and must hold a Compliance Assessment Verification (CAV), which is reviewed annually. A list of contractors with suspended or terminated CAVs is publicly available to growers.
A Zespri spokesperson told Herald that both Saran Contracting and Gurukirpa Contracting had their CAVs suspended in April 2022 after an investigation identified a “wide range of non-compliance.”
However, Singh told the Herald that he believed the CAV suspensions were due to complaints from orchard owners about the quality of work by labourers.
The report was referred to three enforcement agencies, New Zealand Police, Immigration New Zealand, and IRD , but police and immigration has left the matter to IRD.
Singh also claimed that because the companies could no longer generate revenue, IRD actually owed his businesses nearly $5 million in tax refunds. Singh further stated that around $15 million in unpaid taxes attributed to his companies was actually owed by subcontractors who supplied labour on their behalf.
He said he provided financial statements, invoices, and timesheets to IRD, but his dispute was rejected. Singh wanted to contest the tax bill in court but could not afford legal representation.
Singh added that the loss of income forced him to sell his home and that he is now an undischarged bankrupt, relying on government benefits and without employment.
Two separate cases involving Bay of Plenty kiwifruit labour contractors have highlighted ongoing compliance issues in the industry, with Top Produce now owing $1.5 million to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD), and the earlier collapse of Gurukirpa Contracting Ltd and Saran Contracting Ltd...
Two separate cases involving Bay of Plenty kiwifruit labour contractors have highlighted ongoing compliance issues in the industry, with Top Produce now owing $1.5 million to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD), and the earlier collapse of Gurukirpa Contracting Ltd and Saran Contracting Ltd revealing alleged unpaid taxes of $57 million. The cases, reported by the Herald, highlight both the challenges the government faces in enforcing tax and labour compliance, and the measures the kiwifruit community is taking to prevent exploitation of seasonal workers.
Amandeep Singh, sole shareholder and director of Bay of Plenty kiwifruit labour contractor Top Produce, now faces a $1.5 million debt to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) as the company enters liquidation following compliance and overdue staff payment issues, The New Zealand Herald has reported.
Top Produce, incorporated in 2019 to supply seasonal workers to the kiwifruit industry, was placed into liquidation on 4 March 2026, when Singh appointed Reynolds & Associates liquidator Grant Reynolds.
In his first liquidation report, Reynolds said he has so far been unable to locate financial records or identify any company‑owned assets, including bank accounts or financial statements, Herald reported.
Three secured creditors, Farmlands Co‑operative Society, Prospa, and Farmlands Finance, have claims over present and future acquired personal property, though the specific amounts owed remain unquantified.
The bulk of Top Produce’s identified debts are owed to the IRD. Under preferential claims, the tax authority is owed $689,031 for GST and PAYE obligations, with an additional $811,611 in unsecured liabilities, bringing the total IRD debt to approximately $1.5 million. Employee claims are listed as preferential but have not yet been declared.
Reynolds said it is too early to estimate whether dividends will be paid to creditors or when the liquidation will be completed, Herald reported. Singh is currently in India.
Ajaypal Singh's Gurukirpa Contracting Ltd and Saran Contracting Ltd face alleged $57m tax debt
A similar case was brought to light ealier this month where two Bay of Plenty businesses owned by Ajaypal Singh that supplied labour to kiwifruit orchards have been placed into liquidation, allegedly owing $57 million in unpaid taxes, in what appears to be the largest business collapse in New Zealand in 2025, the Herald reported on 3 March.
The companies, Gurukirpa Contracting Ltd and Saran Contracting Ltd, were owned and operated by the same person, Ajaypal Singh. Both businesses were placed into liquidation by the High Court at Tauranga following separate applications by Inland Revenue (IRD) late last year.
Singh told the Herald that he disputed the tax debts claimed by IRD but could not afford to fight the case in court. He described the situation as very stressful for him and his family.
According to the final liquidation report filed by the Official Assignee in December, Gurukirpa Contracting owed $9,411,130 in unpaid tax. Singh failed to file the company’s statement of affairs, and the business was liquidated without any assets being discovered to repay the debt.
The liquidation of Saran Contracting Ltd is ongoing, Herald reported.
Its first liquidation report filed in December indicated $48,017,782 owed to IRD. James Betton of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE) told Herald that the liquidator is conducting searches and investigations to locate any assets, with the next report due in June.
As a director of at least two failed companies in the past five years, Singh will be referred to the director prohibition team for consideration of disqualification, Betton added.
The Herald report mentioned that the IRD investigation into the alleged $57 million in unpaid tax was prompted by Zespri, the kiwifruit marketer, which investigates labour exploitation on behalf of New Zealand growers. Zespri uses specialist investigators to identify illegal practices, such as paying migrant workers cash under the table, and blacklists alleged offenders from the industry.
Kiwifruit growers and contractors must meet internationally recognised standards for worker health, safety, and welfare, and comply with Zespri’s code of conduct. Contractors are examined by the investigation consultancy AIM CRI and must hold a Compliance Assessment Verification (CAV), which is reviewed annually. A list of contractors with suspended or terminated CAVs is publicly available to growers.
A Zespri spokesperson told Herald that both Saran Contracting and Gurukirpa Contracting had their CAVs suspended in April 2022 after an investigation identified a “wide range of non-compliance.”
However, Singh told the Herald that he believed the CAV suspensions were due to complaints from orchard owners about the quality of work by labourers.
The report was referred to three enforcement agencies, New Zealand Police, Immigration New Zealand, and IRD , but police and immigration has left the matter to IRD.
Singh also claimed that because the companies could no longer generate revenue, IRD actually owed his businesses nearly $5 million in tax refunds. Singh further stated that around $15 million in unpaid taxes attributed to his companies was actually owed by subcontractors who supplied labour on their behalf.
He said he provided financial statements, invoices, and timesheets to IRD, but his dispute was rejected. Singh wanted to contest the tax bill in court but could not afford legal representation.
Singh added that the loss of income forced him to sell his home and that he is now an undischarged bankrupt, relying on government benefits and without employment.
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