Until recently it wasn't easy for New Zealand small investors to take part in the country's most successful industry: dairy farming.
Sally Sisson says the entry level investment was typically $250,000 or more. "That's far too high for most investors. We're now working on dairy syndicate projects where the starting price can be as little as $25,000 -- a comfortable point for many people, which gives them an opportunity to participate in New Zealand's fastest growing export sector".
Sisson is joint CEO of Forest Management New Zealand Limited and through that connection works with Roger Dickie, co-ordinating and managing rural investment syndicates. Dickie has established 86 forests for more than 2500 investors from New Zealand and overseas.
Now the group is organising dairy partnerships along similar lines. Dickie's current project is Eastbourne Dairy Farm, a 242-hectare property in Southland.
Sisson says European investors view farm investments almost as a pure capital gain play, with the land being the focus and anything from farm operations the icing on the cake. Local investors are equally interested in the milk returns.