Contractors out of pocket for work done for liquidated SolarZero are dismayed BlackRock is being invited back into the country to an investment summit next week.
The multi-trillion dollar investment giant and the world's largest asset manager bought SolarZero in 2022 and further invested in it, with others, including the government's own green bank - before putting the solar company into liquidation late last year.
About 170 people lost their jobs and overall, SolarZero owes more than $40 million to creditors and staff, the first liquidators' report shows.
Among that figure, $4.1 million is owed to unsecured 'trade creditors'. BlackRock has confirmed it will be at the New Zealand Infrastructure Investment Summit to be held in Auckland next Thursday and Friday.
Josh Martin, who is leading a group of 33 former Solar Zero contractors, says it's unfair that a company managing $11.5 trillion has left workers and contractors unpaid.
He says his business had done two installations every day for the month of November and is owed about $70,000.
He tells Kathryn he's sold property to pay his staff redundancies as he went from a team of almost 10 to a 'one man band'. BlackRock says despite its significant $250 million investment into Solar Zero, it was not viable and it recognises the hardship of affected creditors.
SolarZero workers installing panels Photo: Supplied/SolarZero
