Government farms buy-up spoils PM's punchline

The Government has bought two farms near Wellington to keep them in public ownership just a week after Helen Clark taunted Don Brash about asset sales.

The two Landcorp farms, bought for $10.7 million, will become public parks.

The Prime Minister last week forced Dr Brash, the National Party leader, onto the back foot during TV3's political leaders debate by talking up his party's asset sales programme around Landcorp farms.

He either did not know or forgot - and she neglected to mention - that farms are also being sold under Labour.

The Herald this week reported Landcorp's plans to sell the farms and yesterday Conservation Minister Chris Carter moved, with local councils, to buy almost all the 1200-hectare Waitangirua and all the 446ha Whareroa farms, north of Wellington.