Crafar survives to fight again

Allan Crafar. Photo / Christine Cornege

Allan Crafar has survived for another month against a legal challenge to kick him off his home farm.

The embattled dairy farmer yesterday represented himself at a civil hearing held in the Maori Land Court at Rotorua.

"When you're right, you fight - that's what I say. We're not about to give up," he said after the hearing.

Liquidators for his bankrupt dairy empire - the largest in family hands - are seeking to remove him from the property at Reporoa, south of Rotorua.

Yesterday, the court granted an order to retrieve Mr Crafar's original tenancy agreement, which he will have to send to the police document examination section in Wellington by Friday, August 6.

The police agency will issue a report on the document, bringing Mr Crafar back to court next month.

Mr Crafar said the liquidators had spent more than $1 million in legal fees so far, paid out of the farms' revenue.

"All that money has got to come out the end of a teat. It's not easy getting millions out of a teat, and those bastards spend it on lawyers.

"The problem is we pay the legal fees on both sides. They're using our income to pay for it."

Mr Crafar had originally been given an April 9 deadline to move out, but he is still battling to stay on almost four months later.

"We put new evidence in court today and probably surprised them a bit. They would have been hoping for the end," he said.

The plaintiffs' lawyer, Mark Sandelin, said much of the new material related to other litigation.

Mr Crafar also requested that the court provide an independent third party to adjudicate the proceedings by amicus - which would spare him the cost of hiring a lawyer.

He has previously applied for legal aid three times without success.

"I haven't reapplied. I got sick of it. What part of no income and no money don't they understand?" he asked.

But Mr Crafar has also said he could raise $200 million to repay his debts.

Judge Anthony Christiansen rejected the request for an amicus.

"Don't expect too much help from the court when it comes to the amicus situation, because the court's ability to help is restricted to a specific, confined issue, not to general representation," he said.

Judge Christiansen urged Mr Crafar to find a lawyer before the next hearing. "The task before you is a considerable one. I'm not saying it's a difficult one, but a considerable one. You have obviously got to get a lawyer from somewhere. These issues take a lot of work."

Mr Crafar defended himself from the court's public seating area, standing beside his wife, Elizabeth, brother Frank and son Robert - who are all defendants in the case.

The Crafar farms, which went into receivership last October owing $200 million to PGG Wrightson and banks, are being sold off by liquidators KordaMentha and have attracted a bid from China's Natural Dairy.