Press Release – BWA Insolvency
BWA Insolvency principal Bryan Williams says the flat national figure reflects a shift in where financial distress is being felt, rather than a reduction in it.
The number of retail businesses entering insolvency rose sharply in Q2, even as overall business failure numbers across New Zealand remained largely unchanged.
BWA Insolvency’s latest Quarterly Market Report shows that retail insolvencies increased from 39 to 68 cases in Q2 2026, a 74 per cent increase and the largest rise recorded across the country’s major industry sectors. Total insolvency numbers remained relatively stable, rising by just five cases quarter-on-quarter to 760, and just 3 per cent higher than Q2 2025 (738).