The Fall of the House of Du Val
It was meant to be the Kiwi dream: build wealth through property and follow in the footsteps of Du Val group founders Kenyon and Charlotte Clarke. But when the Du Val empire collapsed, owing $268 million and leaving investors reeling, that dream came crashing down. As the Du Val saga continues to unfold, investigative business journalist Maria Slade speaks to investors owed tens of thousands and former staff about the group’s big ambitions, selling tactics, and flashy public persona. She also talks with industry experts to examine a system that allowed this to happen, and question why we're so drawn to fringe property schemes. Brought to you by BusinessDesk with thanks to The Milford Foundation’s Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative and MoneyHub.
Episodes
For decades, New Zealand’s love affair with property has pulled everyday investors into schemes that promise certainty and deliver risk. Over and over again, the same story.
In the final episode of The Fall of the House of Du Val, Maria Slade asks whether this cycle is finally starting to break.
For decades, property has been sold to New Zealanders as a sure path to financial security. But history tells a more complicated story.
Maria Slade revisits the collapse of Blue Chip and speaks with investors still living with the fallout years on. Why do cycles of booming property schemes, persuasive marketing and heavy ...
As rumours swirled of work stalling on Du Val sites due to non-payment, subcontractors were left demanding answers. What they got instead were tense meetings and vague promises.
Maria Slade takes us inside a period of mounting pressure, where she hears how frustration on the ground collided with Du Val’s increasingl...
Maria Slade speaks to an investor who lost tens of thousands in Du Val about why she ignored the red flags.
She also talks to a former employee about Du Val’s tactics in selling both investments and houses off the plans to ordinary New Zealanders.
The Du Val Group thrived against the backdrop of the biggest housing boom New Zealand has ever seen.
But the boom couldn’t go on, and when interest r...
A big-talking showman and his charismatic wife: Who are Kenyon and Charlotte Clarke?
Maria Slade talks to a Du Val investor and friend who gave Kenyon his start in real estate and describes him as exceptional.
We hear how Kenyon rose phoenix-like from his first business collapse, and as the New Zealand housing market boomed yet again, vowed to create a billion-dollar empire.
The Clarkes were prolific self-promo...
The glamour, the ambition, and how it all came crashing down.
A five-part investigation from BusinessDesk, coming soon.
https://businessdesk.co.nz/du-val
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