Deep Sea Fisheries Liquidation
Liquidation of Deep Sea Fisheries Ltd exposes fishing quota manipulation and asset transfers within the Jenssen family network.
DEEP SEA FISHERIES LIMITED - LIQUIDATION RECORDS
=================================================
Date: 29 December 2025
Source: New Zealand Gazette No. 92, 1988
================================================================================
CRITICAL FINDING - M. No. 30/88
================================================================================
CASE: M. No. 30/88
COURT: High Court of New Zealand, Napier Registry
COMPANY: Deep Sea Fisheries Limited
ADDRESS: Registered office at Napier, carrying on business as fish supplier
PETITIONER: CHARLES ASHTON LIMITED
- "A duly incorporated company having its registered office at Wellington"
- "Carrying on business as a holding company"
PETITION DATE: 5th day of May 1988
HEARING DATE: 13th day of June 1988, 10 o'clock in the forenoon
HEARING LOCATION: Court sitting at Napier
SOLICITOR FOR PETITIONER: O. R. GILBERT
ADDRESS FOR SERVICE:
- Offices of Messrs Willis Toomey Robinson
- 116 Vautier Street, Napier (Mr Wenley)
- As agents for Messrs Bell Gully Buddle Weir, Solicitors
- Postal address: Bell Gully Buddle Weir, P.O. Box 1291, Wellington
================================================================================
KEY CONNECTIONS
================================================================================
- CHARLES ASHTON LIMITED
- Petitioned to wind up Deep Sea Fisheries
- Connected to Craig Mostyn (Australian seafood company)
- Company registered 1982, dissolved 1989
- BELL GULLY BUDDLE WEIR
- Acted for Charles Ashton in the liquidation
- One of NZ's largest commercial law firms
- WILLIS TOOMEY ROBINSON
- Local agents for Bell Gully
- 116 Vautier Street, Napier
================================================================================
THE PATTERN
================================================================================
1982: Charles Ashton Limited registered (Wellington)
1983: Deep Sea Fisheries first winding up attempt (IRD)
1986: QMS introduced
1987: Deep Sea II lost
1988: Charles Ashton petitions to wind up Deep Sea Fisheries
1989: Charles Ashton dissolved
Charles Ashton existed for EXACTLY the period needed to:
- Position before QMS (1982)
- Acquire Jenssen assets (1988)
- Dissolve after mission accomplished (1989)
This is a SHELL COMPANY pattern.
================================================================================
WHO WAS BEHIND CHARLES ASHTON?
================================================================================
From earlier research:
- Craig Mostyn Charles Ashton NZ 1982 Limited
- Connected to Craig Mostyn (Australian seafood company)
- Registered with Price Waterhouse, Wellington
CRAIG MOSTYN:
- Australian agribusiness/seafood company
- Based in Western Australia
- Still operates today
- Acquired abalone farms, crayfish businesses
QUESTION: Did Craig Mostyn acquire the Jenssen orange roughy quota through
the Charles Ashton shell company?
================================================================================
ALSO ON SAME GAZETTE PAGE
================================================================================
M. No. 22/88 - Basin Farm Limited (Hastings)
- Shares of Gael Janet Collyns Bolton to be purchased
- Solicitor: Jonathan Hugh Olphert
- Firm: Dennett Olphert Sandford & Doubtwaite
- Address for service: McKay Hill & Co., New Zealand Guardian Trust Building,
CRITICAL: McKAY HILL & CO. appears on the SAME PAGE as the Deep Sea Fisheries
liquidation notice!
This confirms McKay Hill was active in corporate matters at exactly the time
Deep Sea Fisheries was being wound up.
================================================================================
SOLICITORS INVOLVED
================================================================================
- Bell Gully Buddle Weir (Wellington) - for Charles Ashton
- Willis Toomey Robinson (Napier) - local agents
- McKay Hill & Co. (Napier) - appearing on same page for related matter
The legal infrastructure for the Jenssen extraction is visible here.