NZ overseas student loan debt

J1984hs

Recently I received a letter from a uk debt collecting agency stating that I owed $16k to the NZ inland revenue.

After calling the IRD in NZ they advised me that I had an unpaid student loan debt from 2001. I haven't lived there since 2002 and have been in the UK since.

I had absolutely no idea about the debt. In 2001 I signed up for what I remember to be a community college course and I believed was funded as I was from a low income background. Turns out it was a branch of the uni and cost me $4k. The rest is unpaid penalty charges.

I have visited NZ 4 times since leaving and never have they made an attempt to contact me on the address on the immigration card (they claim that's because until 2013 they never had the right to). I asked why they had never sent letters and they said that the address that they had got a "return to sender" yet on one correspondence I have seen my mums address (she lived there for 8yrs after the loan was started).

Can anyone offer advice? I have been told that I can file for NZ bankruptcy however me and my wife have a home here and I wouldn't want that to be jeopardised. They want me to pay either $1000 per year until paid or will reduce it to $12000 if I pay in full. I can no way afford that and am not in a brilliant financial position.

Bermonia

Not sure you will get much help on a uk based forum... may want to consider seeing if there is a forum service in NZ you can refer to.

J1984hs

I hoped that someone may have had the same issue over here as I have seen that there have been a lot of similar situations in Oz.