Phone running 'red hot' says anti land-sales campaigner

Tony Bouchier. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Auckland lawyer Tony Bouchier says his telephone has been ringing red hot with support for a campaign to stop New Zealand farms being sold to overseas owners.

The Save the Farms Group says foreign buyers are lining up from all countries to buy New Zealand land.

The group, led and funded by Auckland developer John McKearney, was launched today as the Crafar family was due back in court seeking a court order to stop the receiver evicting them from a farm in Reporoa in the Bay of Plenty.

Hong Kong-based company Natural Dairy is bidding to buy 16 Crafar farms being sold by receivers.

The 13 dairy farms and three drystock grazing properties cover nearly 8000 hectares in the central and western North Island.

They have been in receivership since last October.

'Save The Farms' spokesman Bouchier said the group wanted a national debate on the issue of overseas ownership of New Zealand land and the Government needed to take urgent action.

The first step was a moratorium on the sale of Crafar farms and other sensitive agricultural land to foreign ownership until there has been informed public debate and protections incorporated into a review of the Overseas Investment Act 2005.

"New Zealand must retain ownership of our primary resource, the land and waters of Aotearoa New Zealand."

Bouchier said he had had 100 per cent support from everyone he had spoken to about the issue.

He said his telephone had been running red hot with messages and texts supporting the group.

Asked about the issue Prime Minister John Key repeated his concerns about large tracts of land being sold off.

"That is part of the economic power base and the economic growth story of New Zealand and I don't think we want to end up in the position where we are tenants in our own land," he told Newstalk ZB.

"I think foreign investment is welcome if it is building a new dairy plant or whatever it might be because I think that can add jobs or can add capital that we don't necessarily have."

While selling farms did not achieve a lot, he had problems with a total ban on sales.

"Why wouldn't it be no sales of beach houses and no sales of vineyards? So you can take this thing too an extreme position which I don't think the bulk of New Zealanders would support."

Finance Minister Bill English is expected to consider the land sale issue in his review of the overseas investment rules.

NZPA