Shortland St studio gets new overseas owner

Amanda Billing as Dr Sarah Potts (left) in her final episode of Shortland St. The studio where the long-running soap is filmed is now owned by a US-UK company, which bought South Pacific Pictures.

A land deal has been approved as part an overseas broadcasting giant's purchase of popular TV show Shortland Street's production house.

The Overseas Investment Office has granted Britain and America's DLG Acquisitions permission to buy West Auckland land classified as sensitive from All3Media, the international giant which now owns South Pacific Pictures.

DLG is owned by Britain's Liberty Global and the USA's Discovery Communications. The office said All3Media Holdings is the parent company of South Pacific Pictures Investments, the big New Zealand television and film production company.

John Barnett of south pacific clarified the issue "The recent OIO approval with regard to SouthPacific Pictures was not about the sale of the land and buildings. South Pacific Pictures is a tenant on this real estate ... No sale of land occurred, nor is any contemplated."

"The investment will benefit the stability of SPP's business operations in New Zealand. The applicant intends to be a committed, long-term owner of All3Media Holdings and its group companies, including South Pacific Pictures," said the decision released today which also put South Pacific's total gross assets at $19 million.

The land is at 7 and 8 Tolich Pl in Henderson where South Pacific has its state-of-the-art drama studios, post-production offices and facilities.

In other approvals, Fletcher Residential (30 per cent Australian) can buy 32ha of land at Oruarangi Rd, Mangere from New Zealander Gavin Wallace for a secret sum. Fletcher will subdivide and create housing lots on the land, classified as sensitive.

A $17.9 million farm sale also got consent: France's malt specialist Malteurop Groupe can buy 5.9ha of Marton and 3.2ha of land at Ashburton from Archer Daniels Midland of the United States.

See the Shortland St studio site here:

Japan's Summit Northern Plantation got consent to buy 308ha of Northland forestry land from New Zealander Robert Buchanan for a confidential sum.

KTT, 57 per cent British-owned, got consent to increase its investment in agricultural technology business Tru-Test Corporation in a $6 million deal.

Swiss majority-owned Kawakawa Farm Management has consent to buy a 400ha Te Awamutu farm for $4.4 million, saying it intended to talk over and develop the farming operation on the land.

Bunnings, owned by Australia's Wesfarmers, has consent to buy a 1.6ha site in Avondale's 494 Rosebank Rd from a New Zealand business. Bunnings plans to build a new trade centre on the site and employ about 20 people.

Malaysia's Plaman Resources has consent to buy 720 Moonlight Rd in Central Otago's Middlemarch for $650,000. The vendor is Holcim (New Zealand) and Plaman wants to buy the business of Featherston Resources.