Ron Mark MP
New Zealand First Deputy Leader

17 September 2015

So Where was the benefit in all the other farm sales to foreigners?

The rejection of the sale of Lochinver to a Chinese company, because benefits will not be substantial, is baffling, says New Zealand First.

“The National government has merrily ticked off over a million hectares of land to foreigner buyers, and none of those sales add substantial benefit for New Zealand,” says Deputy Leader Ron Mark.

“Is this nervous third term government only acting now because their polling shows they are on the slippery slope.

“Their continued sell-off of New Zealand is resoundingly unpopular. Show us the substantial benefit from all the sales.

“If Lochinver adds no benefit, what value was there in letting the same company, Shanghai Pengxin buy the 16 Crafar Farms, when there was New Zealand interest, and the 13 Synlait farms in Canterbury. Show us the substantial benefit from all the sales.

“What about the Penni farms in Northland to the same group? Will that sale of seven dairy and three support farms?

“The National government has no policies to protect New Zealand assets.

“The government even rejected our largest beef exporter Silver Fern Farms, which was only seeking temporary investment. It’s now accepting Chinese part ownership. Silver Fern was not given the time of day with Finance Minister Bill English refusing to see them over a year.

“At the same time he has announced he will speed up the process to push sales through the Overseas Investment Office when the OIO has been automatically approving all applications.

“New Zealand First says non-residents should not be buying our land. There will be no more of it,” says Mr Mark.

ENDS

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