Our Story

IPI Group Limited was founded in late 2015 by Nicholas Kerr after spending a decade as a credit management consultant for some of the largest organisations in New Zealand and Australia. Throughout his career, he noticed a significant gap in the industry—there was a lack of ethical, intuitive investigators who truly understood the needs of modern businesses.

International Private Investigations Ltd (IPI) was formed and quickly gained a reputation for successfully locating even the most elusive individuals, both in New Zealand and internationally. The company has played a crucial role in finding endangered children, locating estate beneficiaries for trustee companies, and tracking down debtors that multiple agencies had failed to find - often at great expense to their clients.

Growth & Expansion

In 2017, Karl Wards joined IPI as a business growth, logistics and strategy specialist. His expertise in planning, behavioural analysis, logistics and strategy proved to be a perfect fit. Karl was soon appointed as the Operational Director, and under his and Nicholas' leadership, IPI expanded rapidly.
Recognising a gap in the repossession and asset recovery industry, IPI acquired a local repossession company on the recommendation of a finance company owner who was frustrated with service providers charging for unsuccessful recoveries. By combining investigative expertise with best-practice logistics and behavioural analysis, IPI revolutionised the asset recovery industry. Between 2017 and 2022, the company successfully completed over 4,000 asset recoveries, investigations, and subject location cases for multiple first tier lenders for liquidations and finance Repossessions. To meet the demand of IPI’s debt resolution, investigation and debt prevention services, IPI's repossession division NZ Repossession Services was sold in mid 2024.

Diversification & Evolution

In 2022, IPI Dispute resolution Services (IPI DRS) was established to address the growing need for ethical commercial dispute resolution. By reducing pressure on the Disputes Tribunal and facilitating fair resolution, IPI DRS has successfully resolved millions of dollars in disputed debts. More importantly, it has helped rebuild and restore valuable business relationships, unlocking millions more in continued trade.

Credit Consulting

Continuing its evolution, early 2024 saw the integration of IPI Credit Consultancy under the IPI umbrella, leading to a rebrand as IPI Group Limited. This expansion allows the company to offer best-practice debt resolution and commercial credit consultancy, complementing its core services. Through extensive experience in resolution, asset recovery, and debtor fieldwork, IPI Group has gained a unique understanding of the root causes of debt and credit defaults. By reverse-engineering these issues, the company now provides expert consultation to credit providers—helping them mitigate risks before defaults occur. IPI Group works with businesses of all sizes, from SMEs to large corporates, offering staff training, system analysis, and credit policy development to promote safe lending in an increasingly uncertain market.

Our Commitment

At IPI Group Limited, we live by the mantra:

"He mea nui ake te tapatahi i te moni" – Integrity is more important than profit.

Respect and integrity are our non-negotiable core values. These principles guide every aspect of our work, shaping the way we engage with clients, suppliers, and all those we interact with. We carry the integrity of our ancestors, our clients, our industry, and our licensing body—responsibilities we uphold with the highest regard.