Facts on Foreign Farm Sales
November 23rd, 2011 at 2:30 pm by David FarrarLabour has just said:
Why no answer on Crafar farms before election?
National is concealing its intention to sell off our farmland to foreign buyers well under the radar before the election, says Labour’s Economic Development and Associate Finance spokesperson David Parker.
“National is not just about selling our power companies, inevitably into foreign ownership,” David Parker said.
“It’s about selling productive farmland overseas as well.”
More hypocrisy in the hope that the media will not do any fact checking. Some facts:
- Labour approved sales of more than 650,000 hectares of land to foreign owners when in Government. Yes 650,000 hectares – that is the equivalent of 75 Crafar farms. That work out to the Crafar farms every month. Yes, every month.
- For the first 20 months of National (seeking latest data), the total amount of land sales to foreigners was 31,000 hectares. That is 1/4 the rate Labour approved sales at. Under 25%.
- The National-led Government has already turned down one offer from foreign interests for the farms
- The OIO office is independent from the Executive and Ministers can not direct them to delay a recommendation.
So just remember these facts. The last Labour Government (and every member of the current Labour front bench was a Minister in it) approved the sale of the equivalent of the Crafar Farms every single month for nine years. Under National the rate of approvals has fallen to under 25% that of Labour.
Related posts:
- Land sales
- Labour now against any land sales at all?
- Goff’s hypocrisy on foreign land sales
- Foreign land ownership
November 23rd, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Double *Labour* in your last sentence…?
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 2:38 pm
If it’s private land why should we care? Do we object to the sale of highly productive land under apartment blocks or office buildings or warehouses?
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Always think any thing Parker says is a lie.He is the jumped up little worm who got dumped by his electoral in 2008.Couldnt get his own business records up to date for the companies office.He now is a defacto Lie-bor MP with the gall of his lying pamphlets participants which have marginlised young mothers with babies and innocent state house tenants.In fact he is carrying on the jackboot fear tactics of Goff ,King ,Robertson and a host of his sycophant sign destructing worms.
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Actually oldpark, I think you will find that Parker has been a scum list MP since 2005.
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Nice serving of irony, sprinkled with some hypocrisy and washed down with a glass of shut the fuck up for Mr Parker
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 3:53 pm
“Under National the rate of approvals has fallen to under 25% that of Labour.”
Nothing to be proud of
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 4:08 pm
I have no problem with anyone buying property in NZ. The big problem is Labour lying about it and the fact that, after enarly a decade with them in charge, there isn’t enough money in NZ to invest in them. Until we can afford to buy our own resources we should be grateful for foreign investment and their productive activities.
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 4:24 pm
What was the 650k hectares of land. Was it operating farms equivalent to Crafer farms, or was it other currently unproductive land? Your argument would be stronger if you could show that not only did Labour sell more land but it was more of the same type of productive land.
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 4:35 pm
So…..
Foreign investment has dropped off under National. Obviously a result of the GFC, but if it wasn’t for that you might ask the question as to what National is doing to scare off foreign investment.
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 5:38 pm
David some great humour in the posts above, love it! but all joshing aside Im sure the points you raise are generally unknown to the vast majority of people out there in voter land. I certainly didnt have any idea and was greatly surprised.
Vote:I hope that the Nats can push this one out there for all to see.
It really emphasises the horseshit and hypocrysy flowing from Parker et al
November 23rd, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Why no pro-child sodomy laws yet? Because they’re waiting until after the election! Such wonderful logic.
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Your stats will be correct. And Mr Parker should be embarrassed. But ownership of farms and such should remain, by law, in the hands of New Zealanders
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Why is xenophobia so popular among Kiwis?
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 7:02 pm
9 years = 108 months. 6 years = 72 months. I think you’ve gotten the two confused. 75 Crafar farms over 9 years is about 2 Crafar Farms every 3 months.
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 11:17 pm
Now we all trust real estate agents and Harcourts man in Shanghai says:
“Chinese economy we all know about…
Chinese government says it’s time to grow offshore…..
Let’s take a good selection of New Zealands “products” over….
“We’re all New Zealanders, we all love the country so I think it’s healthy for us to have the debate and make the right decisions for our country…. but hey!…. young people coming through see it as “our planet” rather than “our country”
http://static.radionz.net.nz/assets/audio_item/0011/2385074/mnr-20100824-0842-More_than_800-million_dollars_worth_of_property_on_display-m048.asx
If it’s my planet (not my farm: your farm) I’ll move on to your lovely outcrop with the lovely views down harbour… o.k???
Vote:November 23rd, 2011 at 11:19 pm
Notice the influence of the realestate industry in politics these days…???
Vote:November 24th, 2011 at 8:35 am
From September 2005
Vote:“New Zealand is the new Eden, its clean and green image the beneficiary of a public-relations windfall direct from Middle-earth. Americans are not just visiting the country in numbers unimaginable only five years ago—they’re immigrating, drawn by an arcadian ideal (never underestimate the pacifying effect of several billion sheep), breathtakingly cheap waterfront real estate, see-through fish-tank architecture, and an investment climate that, as one Las Vegas resort owner–cum–South Island winemaker puts it, makes New Zealand “the Switzerland of the South Seas.”
One of the most powerful forces in the shilling of the nation is Helen Clark, familiar to all Kiwis as Madame Prime Minister. In her book, there are no bad tourists, only ones with shallow pockets. And in a recent campaign that will go down in history, Clark aggressively packaged and promoted New Zealand as a place where Californians in particular, because of their relative proximity and the kinship in lifestyles, might consider putting down roots. “Active recruitment,” she called it, and some of the state’s richest residents signed up. Vive le marketing.”
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/kiwi-country