The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Ingka Investments intends to be a good neighbour in NZ

By Riley Kennedy
Otago Daily Times·
20 Jun, 2022 10:15 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
The gateway to Wisp Hill Station in Owaka Valley. Photo / Shawn McAvinue

The gateway to Wisp Hill Station in Owaka Valley. Photo / Shawn McAvinue

The overseas forestry investment company buying up farming land in Otago and Southland says it knows it has to "walk the talk" to ensure it is a good neighbour.

Last year, Ingka Investments - a subsidiary of Ingka Group, the largest retailer of Ikea home furnishings - purchased 5500ha at Wisp Hill in South Otago for its forestry programme.

As well as that, last month it also was granted Overseas Investment Office approval to buy 1118ha in Koneburn Rd, Gore.

It also had two other properties in Central Hawke's Bay.

Netherlands-based Ingka Investments forestland investment manager Andriy Hrytsyuk has been on a trip of the country looking at the company's recent investments, which included a stop in Otago and Southland.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Speaking from Auckland about his trip, Hrytsyuk said the trip's purpose was to meet stakeholders to communicate that it wanted to be a good neighbour.

Biologically, New Zealand was one of the best places to grow trees and the country offered a great opportunity to continue its forestation programme, he said.

Inkga Investments forestland investment manager Andriy Hrytsyuk. Photo / Supplied
Inkga Investments forestland investment manager Andriy Hrytsyuk. Photo / Supplied

Hrytsyuk was keen to stress they were not buying New Zealand land to sell carbon credits or offset its climate footprint.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We're in the timber business and earn a return from selling wood," he said.

Asked whether the company understood why buying prime farming land was controversial, he admitted they did not, to begin with.

"We are learning that it is not so straightforward and there are a number of rational and emotional reasons behind it, but we believe we have a strong case for the social impact on jobs and the environment.

"We know we have to have good communication to explain that ... we can talk a lot of nice things but we have to show the facts," he said.

At Wisp Hill, about 300ha of gorse had been removed so far and the first 274,000 of three million seedlings had been planted.

About 40ha of mānuka had also been planted and 20km of all-weather roading built.

Hrytsyuk said about 300ha of farming land was being sold and, "we want the best land for farming to stay in farming".

Ingka Investments was trying to take a long-term approach to its decision-making.

"I know the decisions I make now, I'm not going to see the results," Hrytsyuk said.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

Record red meat prices on The Country

The Country

Western Australia sheep tour sparks new thinking for Kiwi farmers

The Country

Voting countdown: Key dates, rules and what’s at stake in council elections


Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Record red meat prices on The Country
The Country

Record red meat prices on The Country

Kate Acland, Maegen Blom, Doug Avery, Tom Martin, Stu Duncan, Stu Loe, and Phil Duncan.

09 Sep 01:32 AM
Western Australia sheep tour sparks new thinking for Kiwi farmers
The Country

Western Australia sheep tour sparks new thinking for Kiwi farmers

08 Sep 11:04 PM
Voting countdown: Key dates, rules and what’s at stake in council elections
The Country

Voting countdown: Key dates, rules and what’s at stake in council elections

08 Sep 09:23 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP