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The Fall of the House of Du Val by BusinessDesk

The Fall of the House of Du Val by BusinessDesk

BusinessDesk

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.

Categories: Business

Listen to the last episode:

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.

She presents the features of a fringe investment to first-year university students to test a simple idea. Are they more financially literate than their parents, or are we raising the next generation of willing believers?

The Retirement Commissioner lays out her Five Golden Rules for Mum and Dad investors, cutting through decades of property mythology with uncomfortable clarity.

For Du Val investors still owed $64 million, the outlook remains bleak. And yet, group founder Kenyon Clarke vows "I'll be back".

Brought to you by BusinessDesk with thanks to The Milford Foundation’s Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative and MoneyHub.

Host, researcher, writer: Maria Slade
Producer: Hamish Williams
Lead Sound Design: Mick Andrews
Additional Sound Design: Lara Healy
Executive Producers: Jane Yee and Duncan Bridgeman

https://businessdesk.co.nz/du-val

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