Fears over US pressure

Trade Minister Tim Groser. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Campaign group Save the Farms says it is alarmed the United States may pressure the Government to allow American investors to buy unlimited farmland.

Save the Farms said that Trade Minister Tim Groser had said he would not give in on the special protection for land but the legitimate concerns of the United States must be considered.

Spokesman for the group Tony Bouchier said: "New Zealanders may wish to tell the minister he must resist pressure to agree to farm sales offshore as part of a trade agreement."

Save the Farms said the Government had agreed to let Harvard University add to its dairy holdings here with the approval of a sale in Otago.

The group said it wanted all such sales to halt until there was public input into a new policy aimed to preserve farmland in the ownership of New Zealand citizens.

Debate about overseas ownership of farmland has been heightened by a bid from Chinese-backed Natural Dairy (NZ) Holdings to buy 16 dairy farms from receivers of the Crafar empire, which is still awaiting a decision from the Overseas Investment Office (OIO).

A survey of 1000 people by Curia Market Research for Natural Dairy showed 65 per cent of people thought farms should be sold only to New Zealand residents.

Harvard's endowment fund has been given OIO approval to buy the 1300ha Big Sky Dairy Farm near Patearoa for more than $28 million.

Labour agricultural spokesman Damien O'Connor said the Government was frightened by public reaction to the sale of farmland to Chinese interests.

"But the issue has never been about China or any other country of origin. It's about having rules that work effectively and that can be clearly understood by everyone."