• Darleen Tana’s husband Christian Hoff-Nielsen’s bike business is in liquidation amid worker exploitation claims.

• A notice at Newmarket Bikes and Beyond indicates temporary closure.
• When the Herald visited, two accountants from Khov Jones were combing through the shop.

Ex-Green MP Darleen Tana’s husband’s bike business is in liquidation, following allegations of worker exploitation.

People inside the premises told the Herald Tana’s husband, business owner Christian Hoff-Nielsen, has left the country and is in Europe.

A notice was placed in the Newmarket Bikes and Beyond window this afternoon, saying the business was temporarily closed and with contact details for Khov Jones, an insolvency and forensic accountancy firm.

About 4.30pm, the Companies Office updated its website to say E Cycles NZ Limited has had liquidators, receivers or voluntary administrators appointed.

The liquidators are Kieran Michael Jones and Steven Khov.

Two accountants from Khov Jones were combing through the shop when the Herald visited.

They would not discuss their activities inside the store.

The Herald saw one accountant place the notice in the window. It read: “This store is temporarily closed. For enquiries, please contact us at [email protected].”

Insolvency, forensic accounting and consultancy firm Khov Jones has closed Bikes and Beyond, the store owned by ex-Green MP Darleen Tana's husband Christian Hoff-Nielsen. Photo / Alex Burton

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Bikes and Beyond store in Newmarket, Auckland, was closed on Wednesday and several accountants from Khov Jones were combing through the interior of the building. Photo / Alex Burton

According to its website, Khov Jones works in the areas of forensic accounting investigations, voluntary, solvent and court-appointed liquidations, receivership, insolvent transactions, overdrawn current accounts, directors duty breaches, and voluntary administration.

Meanwhile, a second shop on Waiheke Island has been advertised on TradeMe, listed for $0.

The listing describes the store as “a thriving rental business” and says the business has “pure profit numbers of over 350k a year”.

The business was listed on Tuesday, July 2.

Earlier today, the Green Party released the executive summary of its report into what Tana knew about allegations of migrant exploitation at her husband’s bike company, E Cycles.

The report was critical of Tana and her husband Hoff-Nielsen.

The report said she continued to be involved with the company despite claiming not to be; and at times that involvement was “extensive”.

“In summary, it seems her day-to-day operational involvement in E Cycles reduced around mid-2019, but she continued over the following three years to support and assist the business,” the executive summary said.

Darleen Tana Hoff-Nielsen.

“At times this assistance was extensive, and at other times she provided more back office supervisory support - payroll oversight, assistance with holiday pay calculations, relief work in shops to cover staff absence, and support and liaison with company lawyers.”

The report recounted a personal grievance laid against the company on January 11, 2019 by Chuck Simpson, while Tana was still a director and shareholder of the company.

Simpson worked briefly in “Green Wheels” a Blenheim shop, run as a related entity of E Cycles. Simpson resigned from that job after two weeks, saying the shop was in “chaos” and that both suppliers and employees were not being paid. The company lawyer refused mediation, and Simpson took the case to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA).

'There is no news' said Darleen Tana's husband Christian Hoff-Nielsen, regarding claims he had exploited migrant workers at his business Bikes and Beyond. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Tana has disputed aspects of the report, by lawyer Rachel Burt, and the process used to complete it.

Hoff-Nielsen denied all the exploitation allegations at the time and told the Herald, “this is not a news story, there is no news”.

He has been unavailable to speak to the Herald since the Green Party announced it was asking Tana to resign from Parliament on July 8.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.