Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
11 JANUARY 2015

Foreign Ownership Register Bill Gaining Support

With New Zealand First’s register of foreign land and housing ownership awaiting introduction to Parliament, all political parties are being urged to support it.

“New Zealand First is delighted Labour MP Stuart Nash has fallen in behind our long held view and realised the importance of counting just how much land and housing is falling into foreign ownership,” says Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters. “Federated Farmers are also supporting the register.

“New Zealand First doesn’t believe in ‘no action, talk only,’ which is why we are the only party to have a Bill to introduce a register of land ownership.

“The National government has blithely allowed the sale of a million hectares of land into foreign ownership – and there has been creeping foreign ownership under successive governments.

“The Overseas Investment Office (OIO) which ticks off nearly all applications is only a flow meter and most property sales, including houses, don’t even come onto its radar.

“The OIO has so few staff it can’t even police the conditions it attaches to sales it approves, such as job creation.

“This is exactly why New Zealand First’s Land Transfer (Foreign Ownership of Land Register) Amendment Bill is waiting to be drawn and put before Parliament. We want New Zealanders to know who is taking over – most countries do not allow the wholesale sell-off of land and houses.

“New Zealand First’s register includes land and housing sales, given the OIO isn’t concerned with sales of less than five hectares of farmland, less than 0.4 hectares of land next to certain reserve and conservation areas, or is less than 0.2 hectares adjoining the foreshore.

“National’s stubbornness over not counting sales shows it doesn’t want to admit the truth. It’s immigration ‘free for all’ is undermining the chances of Kiwis to own their own home or farm.

“Even the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment has told the government record net migration means there are nowhere near enough houses for everyone.

“Only last month Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott reconfirmed his government’s commitment to a national register of foreign-owned farmland, so a version of what we first put forward in 2013 will become law across the Tasman this year.

“New Zealand First suggests our government stops dilly dallying around the edges of this national problem and talks to New Zealand First about our Land Transfer (Foreign Ownership of Land Register) Amendment Bill.

“We need to act in the interests of New Zealand and put New Zealand first,” says Mr Peters.

ENDS

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