New Zealand farms are not for sale to overseas investors, says a group of businessmen who have rolled out an expansive advertising campaign to stop foreigners buying up agricultural land.
The Save the Farms group has spent over $150,000 on newspaper advertising this week, urging the public to take a solid view on the issue, which they say the Government needs to address.
“It’s time to sit down, have a cup of tea and have a chinwag about this and that’s what we want,” said Save Our Farms’ spokesperson Tony Bouchier to ONE News TV station.
Bouchier, a former policeman turned lawyer, thinks that future generations must have the country’s land intact, rather than owned by overseas investor giants.
Overseas Investment Office figures on the Save the Farms website show there have been 235 consents for foreign investment in agricultural land in the past five years, accumulating to around 15,000 hectares.
The majority of the investors come from the UK, US or Europe. A smaller number originate in Asia, like the Hong Kong Natural Dairy company.
Last week, Natural Dairy launched its own blitz campaign to promote the benefits of its investment in New Zealand’s 16 Crafar farms.
Earlier this month an overwhelming majority of the public objected to the sale of Kiwi land. In a special 3 News Reid Research Poll, 75 per cent of New Zealanders wanted the rules around foreign investment tightened.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister John Keys opposed a total ban on farm sales, calling for a more balanced approach.
“That is part of the economic power base and the economic growth story of New Zealand and I don’t think we want to end up in the position where we are tenants in our own land,” he told Newstalk ZB.
“I think foreign investment is welcome if it is building a new dairy plant or whatever it might be, because I think that can add jobs or can add capital that we don’t necessarily have.”
“Why wouldn’t it be no sales of beach houses and no sales of vineyards? ... You can take this thing to an extreme position which I don’t think the bulk of New Zealanders would support.”
While it is known when contracts were signed with overseas investors, it remains unknown how much land has actually been sold off.
Currently a government review is underway to make the sale process more transparent and simplified. The review, which was initiated in 2009, will also hopefully shed light on the quantity of lands sold.
The Save the Farms group has spent over $150,000 on newspaper advertising this week, urging the public to take a solid view on the issue, which they say the Government needs to address.
“It’s time to sit down, have a cup of tea and have a chinwag about this and that’s what we want,” said Save Our Farms’ spokesperson Tony Bouchier to ONE News TV station.
Bouchier, a former policeman turned lawyer, thinks that future generations must have the country’s land intact, rather than owned by overseas investor giants.
Overseas Investment Office figures on the Save the Farms website show there have been 235 consents for foreign investment in agricultural land in the past five years, accumulating to around 15,000 hectares.
The majority of the investors come from the UK, US or Europe. A smaller number originate in Asia, like the Hong Kong Natural Dairy company.
Last week, Natural Dairy launched its own blitz campaign to promote the benefits of its investment in New Zealand’s 16 Crafar farms.
Earlier this month an overwhelming majority of the public objected to the sale of Kiwi land. In a special 3 News Reid Research Poll, 75 per cent of New Zealanders wanted the rules around foreign investment tightened.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister John Keys opposed a total ban on farm sales, calling for a more balanced approach.
“That is part of the economic power base and the economic growth story of New Zealand and I don’t think we want to end up in the position where we are tenants in our own land,” he told Newstalk ZB.
“I think foreign investment is welcome if it is building a new dairy plant or whatever it might be, because I think that can add jobs or can add capital that we don’t necessarily have.”
“Why wouldn’t it be no sales of beach houses and no sales of vineyards? ... You can take this thing to an extreme position which I don’t think the bulk of New Zealanders would support.”
While it is known when contracts were signed with overseas investors, it remains unknown how much land has actually been sold off.
Currently a government review is underway to make the sale process more transparent and simplified. The review, which was initiated in 2009, will also hopefully shed light on the quantity of lands sold.
