Claims John Beckenridge was in a dire financial straits before vanishing with his stepson, Mike.

Their mysterious disappearance in 2015 is subject to a Coroners' hearing to determine whether the pair are dead or alive.

A detective believes Beckenridge seemed to be living off his credit card, but the boy's mother, Fiona Lu, thinks her ex-husband was stashing cash.

Newstalk ZB journalist Courtney Winter says he withdrew about $900 not long before disappearing.

"Beckenridge had requested a $30,000 dollar loan from BNZ, but that was rejected due to his financial position at the time."

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