Shania, don't come on over

By LOUISA CLEAVE and WAYNE THOMPSON

Singer Shania Twain will need Government approval to buy a picturesque station near Lake Wanaka.

Twain, who lives in Switzerland with her producer husband Robert Lange and their baby, is reported to have offered $16 million for the 17,000ha Motatapu Station behind Glendhu Bay on Lake Wanaka.

The tourism drawcard is mainly pastoral lease land and is understood to have a Government valuation of $4 million.

Groups advocating greater public access to South Island high-country lease lands are worried that if Twain - who sold 34 million copies of her album Come on Over - pays such a high premium for this property, it will affect Crown negotiations for reserves and access elsewhere.

The Overseas Investment Commission has to approve a sale if the property is more than 5ha or worth more than $10 million.

Commission chief executive Stephen Dawe said an overseas buyer would usually make an application before a sale went unconditional.

A buyer would have to show the investment was a "substantial and identifiable" benefit to New Zealand.

"It can't just be used as a place to come and stay."

Wanaka locals are either staying silent about their new resident - or are just as much in the dark as everyone else.

Arthur Scaife, father of station owner Sally Mackay, said he had never heard of Twain.

Wanaka Harcourts agent Geoff Kerr said there was a conditional agreement on the property, but would not say whether Twain was the buyer.

The station is regarded as an unspoiled tourism gem for Central Otago. It features a 1.2ha perennial flower garden developed by Sally Mackay, and includes the Motatapu Chasms, a craggy area that is a favourite of climbers and Wanaka campers.

The station also hosts a commercial mountain biking operation.

The prospect of the sale was condemned last night by Mike Floate of the Federation of Mountain Clubs.

He said the station was the key to a "wonderful" alternative route from Wanaka across a saddle to Arrowtown, used by mountain bikers, four-wheel-drive enthusiasts and walkers.

He was concerned about public access to the property if the sale went ahead.

"Sometimes overseas owners do not understand the Kiwi tradition of allowing public access to beautiful places on their land."

Bruce Mason, of Public Access New Zealand, said last night that if the $16 million price was correct, he would be extremely concerned.

Such a grossly inflated price over the Government valuation could mean the buyers had high expectations of what development they could do.

Pastoral leases had strict limitations on change of land use.