Reports of a “sale by tender” of one of our most iconic livestock farming properties — Mangaheia Stn, inland from Tolaga Bay — is welcome news for most of us who have been nervously watching the process since it was listed for sale.
Foremost amongst the reasons for this is the fact the property is now in the hands of two local farming families with long histories of adding value to everything they commit to.
It could have been so different!
This outcome can best be described as the region having “dodged a bullet”.
The sale process had all the characteristics of a trend that is seeing our heritage and economic viability as a nation gutted while we sleep.
While it was conducted within the law as it applies to property sales of this type, this remains a process that needs to be reviewed in the best interests of the whole country. Because, if it isn't, next time we might not be so lucky.
As this parliamentary term draws to a close, the Government's influence on charting our future during the last three years is coming into focus and its performance during that time on our behalf will be judged in September.
While it is fair that our governing politicians are held to account for things that didn't proceed according to promises made, we should be mindful that there are some issues that have got out of hand where we, the people who put them there, are equally culpable. We should accept some of the blame simply for licensing activities that we should have known would not work in our favour.
The classic example is the Provinicial Growth Fund, a New Zealand First initiative that was partly responsible for Winston Peters being able to anoint our current Prime Minister. From a provincial perspective, particularly here in the Tairawhiti, this generous programme has been our “life support” during these recent tumultuous years.
Unfortunately, however, this scheme has a dark side. While difficult to identify during its initial inception, this is now shown to be something akin to “full blown Aids” which, although catchable only through intimacy, is potentially deadly once it gets established in the system.
I'm obviously talking about the expansion of the forestry estate that is consuming large tracts of our traditional livestock farmland, and which has been largely funded or assisted by the taxpayer via the Provincial Growth Fund.
And of course, the Government's involvement in the expansion of the forestry industry — which has decimated many rural communities — is not just reflected in the funding of these developments. It has set the climate that enables and even encourages foreign or non-farming interests to legitimately invest in our communities, with the result that similar properties to Mangaheia around the country are vulnerable to this predator influence.
The evidence of how this works in the market place can be seen in the list of underbidders when properties of this quality are put up for sale. Many of them, as in this case, are forestry interests with deep pockets.
Surely, the time has come for us to decide who and what we want to be — “Tokoroa by the Sea”, or a vibrant community with a mix of industries that work together contributing in their own way to the region's strategic development?
In the meantime, add the names of our two courageous families to the cabinet list of those being considered for honours in the next round. Like Horatius at the Bridge, they have defended against incredible odds on our behalf. We should be eternally grateful.