An iwi group that was part of the Sir Michael Fay-led legal challenge to Chinese company Shanghai Pengxin's purchase of the 16 Crafar dairy farms may take its case to the Supreme Court, spokesman Hardie Peni says.
But Sir Michael himself has thrown in the towel, saying he feels "disenfranchised" by the Court of Appeal decision yesterday that dismissed his group's challenge.
Sir Michael's group had argued that when Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson and Associate Finance Minister Jonathan Coleman approved Shanghai Pengxin's application to buy the farms, they erred by finding the Chinese company had the relevant business acumen and experience to run the farms.
But the court found that Mr Williamson and Dr Coleman "were entitled to conclude that the controlling individuals had business experience relevant to the proposed investment".
The Tiroa E and Te Hape B trusts representing King Country iwi Ngati Rereahu were part of Sir Michael's consortium, and interim chairman Mr Peni yesterday said while he was not surprised by it, the court's decision was not the end of the matter.