Chasing overdue invoices is one of the least enjoyable parts of running a business. Late payments can strain cash flow and delay projects. And with Xero showing your overdue balances front and centre every time you log in, you just can’t escape the stress.

Now, if you’ve emailed and called your customers without success, don’t resort to writing their debts off as bad debts. The smarter move is to bring in professionals who can recover debts efficiently and respectfully. 

That’s exactly what the best debt collection agencies in Christchurch do. They’re experts at getting what you’re owed quickly and professionally. 

If you’ve got a long list of overdue receivables, these are the only agencies to trust!

1. UnderControl Credit Management

Address: Level 2, 329 Durham Street North

Phone: 03 338 5754

Business hours:

• Monday to Friday: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
• Saturday to Sunday: Closed

Website

UnderControl Credit Management has been active in Christchurch for decades, backed by over 50 years of combined experience in debt recovery.

From what we’ve seen, they’ve carved out a niche with a more personal approach than most. Their credit managers work under the client’s branding. So when debtors get contacted, it feels like it’s coming straight from the business, not an outside agency.

We also heard that they sometimes use small, thoughtful gestures like offering a coffee voucher as part of their softer communication strategy. It’s uncommon, but for clients who want to maintain goodwill, it can be an effective approach.

Someone we spoke to who’s used their services mentioned that UnderControl leans into light, creative tactics to get payments moving—like chocolate fish or coffee as a friendly nudge.

It’s a bit unexpected, but it apparently works well when the goal is to keep things calm and professional.

They also help businesses tighten up internal credit systems, particularly around terms and conditions, which some clients have said made a noticeable difference.

As for communication, we’ve heard their updates and recommendations are regular and easy to follow.

The only catch is they’re a smaller, Christchurch-based team, so they might not have the same reach or resources as the big nationwide firms.

Friendly, efficient team

“We have been dealing with Jeannette, Renee and Roxy who work very well as a team.

They give excellent advice and manage the debt collection process efficiently. I really appreciate the way they communicate with our clients as they adopt a friendly approach so that bridges are not burned.

Thanks team!”

– Piers Riley, Google Review

Quick and effective results

“Can not recommend Jeannette and her team any higher! We’ve had a sizeable outstanding invoice that has been well overdue for months. Undercrontrol jumped in and got a successful outcome very quickly. Would recommend them to anyone seeking a good debt collection partner.”

– Cody McMullan, Google Review

2. Southern Recoveries Limited

Address: Birmingham Drive, Middleton

Phone: +6433479986

Business hours: Not listed publicly—call them directly to confirm.

Website

What stood out to us about Southern Recoveries Limited is how quickly they get things moving. We came across them after a local business shared their experience trying to track down a debtor who’d gone silent.

According to them, Southern Recoveries made a field visit the same day they were contacted. They showed up in person rather than dragging things out over multiple calls or emails. That kind of direct, timely action seems to be one of their strong suits.

Their team also has a solid reputation for document services. We heard affidavits were handled accurately and without hiccups. It’s something that can be harder than expected when deadlines are involved.

We’re also happy to know that they’re licensed for security and repossession work. Their agents are approved by the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority, which gives their work more structure and credibility.

The only limitation we’ve noticed is their size. Given their small-scale operation, they may be less equipped to manage high-volume accounts or provide continuous service at all hours.

Timely and professional service

“Southern Recoveries Repossession Agency are timely, efficient and professional. Whether it be a document service or to assess a repayment plan before repossession. The results do reflect in the positive outcomes of the files assigned to Ben.”

– Donna O’Malley, Google Review

Excellent service

“Excellent company !”

– Jack Cains, Google Review

3. Aorangi Debt Collection Limited

Address: Unit 4 / 31 Tyne Street (Addington/Riccarton)

Phone: 0508 343 9988

Business hours:

• Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
• Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Website

One of our team members hired Aorangi Debt Collection Limited after dealing with a string of overdue accounts in her business. What stood out early on was how steady and experienced their team felt.

They’ve been around since the 1980s and have worked with clients across New Zealand and Australia. That kind of background gave her more confidence, especially after trying others services that didn’t quite deliver.

She found their “no recovery, no commission” setup really helpful, and we’ve noticed that’s a big draw for other small business owners too. You only pay if the debt gets collected, so there’s less risk involved when you’re already chasing unpaid money.

Their only portal, DebtCtrl, came up a few times in our search. It helps clients track debts in real time without constant follow-ups. They’re also partnered with Centrix, giving access to reliable credit data for future checks.

On top of that, their legal support covers most of the essentials. From document service to court filings and tribunal prep, they handle it all in-house.

The only drawback we came across is their $125 minimum debt threshold. It’s fair for bigger accounts, but probably not ideal if you’re trying to recover smaller amounts.

Hassle-free, fast results

“Fantastic service, we had unsucessfully tried to recover the debt ourselves, one call to Aorangi and we had the matter sorted.   Money paid directly into our account win-win would highly recommend.”

– Rachel Kitchingham, Google Review

Efficient service and easy communication

“Recently I have used Aorangi Debt collectors to retrieve overdue invoices and they have been great to deal with from start to finish.

Super easy to communicate with and efficiently fast.

I was hesitant to use them given the reviews being less than others but I am glad I did because they’ve been awesome!

Highly recommend speaking with them as the whole process is a breeze.

Looking forward working with you moving forward.

Samantha

Finer touch cleaning services.”

– Samantha Cox-Reilly, Google Review

4. Marshall Freeman Collections (NZ) Ltd

Phone: +64 9 580 2444

Business hours:

• Monday to Friday: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM
• Saturday to Sunday: Closed

Website

Marshall Freeman Collections made it to our list because of how widely known they are among businesses across New Zealand and Australia.

With over 20,000 clients on their books, it’s clear they’ve built a solid reputation over the years. A few of our contacts even brought them up right away when we asked about dependable collection agencies.

One thing we liked is that they don’t shy away from smaller accounts, taking on debts as low as NZD 50. That makes them a realistic option for small businesses that aren’t chasing massive sums.

They also operate on a results-based model, where clients don’t pay unless the collection is successful. That setup gave one business owner we spoke to some peace of mind, knowing they wouldn’t be paying out of pocket if nothing came through.

On the tech side, we appreciated that they offer a 24/7 online client portal. It lets you load new debts, track payments, and even send reminders directly.

That said, we did notice that some of their plans involve upfront admin and monthly fees, which might not sit well if no recovery happens. It’s worth checking the fine print before jumping in.

Outstanding service, clear communication

“Mariana has been an absolute pleasure to deal with. She gave me better explanations of what is actually happening with my dealings from their offices. Her friendliness, helpfulness and professionalism is outstanding and many employees can learn from her. I give her a 5 star recommendation. Thank you Mariana for being super!”

– Retha van Zyl, Google Review

Friendly and understanding service

“Lady was awesome great understanding, funny as too. Better approach than the first lady who rang and I hung up on. After chatting with lady P about my situation  we were both able to setup a payment plan and to be reviewed in three months, but after seeing what old Macdonald Trump has done maybe we all will need  a three month review lol thanks LADYP  see in three  months.”

– Little t Petaera, Google Review

5. EC Credit Control

Address: 1 Gloucester Street

Phone: 03 366 3123

Business hours:

• Monday to Friday: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
• Saturday to Sunday: Closed

Website

EC Credit Control has been working with NZ businesses since 1989, so they bring decades of experience to the table.

Several of the people we reached out to mentioned they’d either used EC Credit Control themselves or knew someone who had, especially for handling overdue accounts that had been sitting too long.

One thing we liked is their blend of tech and personal follow-up. Their online dashboard is simple to use, and if you’re on Xero, it connects directly so that you can submit invoices without extra admin.

There’s also human follow-up, which many small business owners still prefer.

They also cover things like PPSR registration, privacy compliance, and drafting Terms & Conditions—helpful for businesses trying to stay ahead on paperwork and policy.

Their NZD 99/month Terms and Conditions subscription is a huge plus. Unlimited debt-loading and hosted legal terms make it a flexible choice, especially for those looking to avoid separate legal fees each time.

We also noticed they put effort into the presentation. Their recovery notices are clean and professional, which some say helped speed up repayments.

That said, even with a no-recovery, no-commission structure, there’s a small upfront loading fee.

Fast and efficient service with impressive results

“I have been doing trading business (import and export) for over five years. This is the first time I have used a debt recovery service. EC Credit Control (NZ) Ltd is incredibly reliable and has unbelievable high efficiency. Superfast email communication and extremely detailed. Everything is transparent.

Our ex-customer, who is no longer on our partner list, had an overdue invoice (due at the end of January) for just about $3500. He just can’t be connected for over two months. He has no reply to emails, texts and no answer for phone calls. We have been frustrated for quite a long time.

I finished all the admin procedures with EC Credit Control (NZ) Ltd yesterday afternoon. And I have surprisingly received an email at 09:03 this morning from EC Credit Control (NZ) Ltd asking me to leave a Google review. I wondered why they asked me to write a review when I hadn’t received even one cent. And then, just 70 minutes later, the outstanding money arrived in my bank account.

After my case was solved, I am writing this feedback as my priority job task. A big thanks for Shona and Richie’s great jobs!!! EC Credit Control (NZ) Ltd made my day!

I do appreciate all your work and contributions to solving our problems. I highly recommend EC Credit Control (NZ) Ltd to other companies with similar situations. I have already passed your information to one of my friends. However, I hope I won’t have the necessity to use your service in the future, no matter how good you are…… LOL”

– Jiayu HUAN, Google Review

Effective and hands-off debt recovery

“ECCC helps our small business recover money owed (that we’ve effectively written off!) when former customers stop taking our calls. We find them quite effective and they take care of arranging long-term payment plans where we can be hands off and not worried if a customer misses a payment.”

– Jesse Archer, Google Review