Businessman aims for return

Alex Kersjes, when he owned The Peak restaurant in Havelock North. Photo / File

The former operator of four failed hospitality businesses says he is chipping away at outstanding debts.

Alex Kersjes owned Turks Bar and The Peak restaurant in Havelock North, the Corn and Cow (formerly The Corn Exchange) in Hastings and The Dutch at The Bluewater bar in Ahuriri.

All went into liquidation early last year.

The Liquidators' Final Report for the company that operated the venues, Why Hospitality, said it owed $28,970 to Inland Revenue and $34,563 to six unsecured creditors.

Liquidations on the four hospitality business were ongoing.

In April, more than $700,000 was owed to creditors. No secured creditors were listed for Turks Bar after it was seized back by the company Mr Kersjes bought it from.

The other venues have new operators. Mr Kersjes is managing The Dutch for a company owned by his former Turks manager Dion Cooper.

Mr Kersjes was pleased most staff retained their jobs as the new operators took over and he would endeavour to repay debts.

"I am still attempting to pay people and am chipping away at the bills," he said.

"I don't have the earning capacity or reserves I once had, with the little money I have I'm paying off those I can."

When asked if he would do anything different if he had the chance he said yes, but it was a "complex question".

"There were lots of other things going on and I didn't pay the attention to a fledgling business that I should have."

He plans to enter the Hawke's Bay entrepreneurial world again but declined to say when or where until a launch in the coming months.