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View/Open - Research Commons - The University of Waikato

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10.4.3 Duty in relation Obligation under Section 136<br />

Companies Act 1993<br />

10.4.3.1 Statutory Provisions<br />

A director has a duty under section 136 to ensure that the company performs its<br />

obligation. <strong>The</strong> duty requires a director who has reasonable grounds to believe<br />

that the company could not discharge its obligation to prevent the company from<br />

entering into such a contract. <strong>The</strong> aim <strong>of</strong> this section is the protection <strong>of</strong> creditors<br />

who have every right to expect that the company will be able to fulfil the<br />

obligation.<br />

To fulfil an obligation under section 136, a director must be certain the company<br />

has the capability to do so. <strong>The</strong> company, for instance, must have the necessary<br />

funds or at least be able to arrange for financial assistance in order to finance the<br />

performance <strong>of</strong> the transaction. This is illustrated in Re Wait Investment Ltd, 196<br />

where a company entered into a sale and purchase agreement without first having<br />

arranged for the necessary funds to finance it. <strong>The</strong> court held that it was not<br />

reasonable for directors to expect that finances would be available to them after<br />

the signing <strong>of</strong> the agreement, given the fact that a number <strong>of</strong> applications had<br />

been rejected. <strong>The</strong> directors, therefore, had exposed the company to obligations<br />

when there was no reasonable grounds to believe it would be able to meet them.<br />

Section 136 is concerned with whether the company has sufficient capital or cash<br />

funds available in order for it to perform its obligations. Directors therefore have<br />

to be vigilant <strong>of</strong> the company‟s financial status. In order to be fully aware <strong>of</strong> it,<br />

directors would have to monitor and supervise the company‟s performance and in<br />

case <strong>of</strong> any indication <strong>of</strong> problems, early detection made it easier for them to take<br />

steps to rectify it.<br />

<strong>The</strong> test imposed by section 136 differs from section 135 in that the former<br />

recognises both subjective and objective elements in it. <strong>The</strong> subjective aspect can<br />

196 [1997] 3 NZLR 96.<br />

273

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