Cameron keeps buying - more Wairarapa land for Avatar maker

Film mogul James Cameron has again extended his Wairarapa farm holdings, this time by 25 hectares.

Throughout this year, the high-profile Canadian director has succeeded in applying to buying chunks of farm land via the state authority.

The Overseas Investment Office released decisions this morning showing it had just approved three further deals, giving him clearance to buy the 25ha.

The decisions released were for a 13.4ha block from an unnamed party, a 4.3ha block from American Andrew Scott Miller and a 9.1ha block from Victoria Ann Shaw and Jeremy Richard Bennett of New Zealand.

The man behind Avatar and Titanic has made a series of separate applications to buy farmland in the area and now has well over 1000ha.

In the latest three decisions, the OIO said Cameron and his family intended to reside indefinitely in New Zealand and Europe Research, LLC of Canada was buying two blocks as part of the wider acquisition.

Cameron's Anglin Classics, LLC of Canada applied to buy the larger 13.4ha.

All 25ha is at Western Lake Rd and all prices on the land were suppressed, marked confidential in the OIO decisions.

Andrew Patersen of Bell Gully handled the applications to the office and the purchases needed approval because the land is regarded as sensitive.

In February, Cameron got approval to buy two large farms - a 250-hectare working dairy farm and 817-hectare hillside property overlooking Pounui - in the South Wairarapa.

Then, in March he got consent to buy 10 hectares of freehold land adjoining the Pounui farm which mainly comprises of native bush.

The April decisions released today are the third stage of the process but whether Cameron has finished is not clear.