Again more twists and turns in the foreign ownership debate with Lands Minister Maurice Williamson's latest statement in the Dom Post.
Also suggestions that SCF could be sold to overseas interests, and with it the Dairy Holdings stake, will rekindle the debate.
Fonterra will be hoping that the Dairy Restructuring Act discussions with Government will be favourable, as Natural Dairy is looking to source a large parcel of milk from that source.
Expansion plans from May Wang and her team seem over, as funds for the NZ expansion are no longer as substantial as first promoted.
Opposition to foreign investment is more about racism than overseas ownership, the minister charged with deciding whether a Chinese company can buy a large chunk of NZ dairy farms says Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson.
He will be required to sign off a bid by Chinese company Natural Dairy to buy 16 North Island dairy farms.
Speaking at a small-business conference at Massey University yesterday, Mr Williamson said he would not discuss the Crafar issue specifically, but the general attitude to foreign investment was usually linked to the ethnicity of the buyer.
"The number of NZers who don't like the idea of overseas investment and think it's really a bad thing, really sort of frightens me, and it's really amazing that some of them have actually got Pommy accents."
Mr Williamson recounted a story of a former National Party colleague who settled in NZ from Scotland, then began opposing foreign ownership of farm land.
The Hong Kong company aiming to acquire the Crafar dairy farms, Natural Dairy (NZ) Holdings, has scaled back its NZ investment plans after running up against the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's listing rules.
"The company will continue to pursue business opportunities in the dairy products business sector" in NZ, and will seek supply agreements with dairy processors "directly or indirectly through local agents so as to secure supply of dairy products", Natural Dairy said.
The "very substantial acquisition" deal proposed in February from NZ company UBNZ Funds Management, controlled by local woman May Wang, has now been terminated, but UBNZ spokesman Bill Ralston said the decision did not affect the money already committed to buy the Crafar family farms and secure dairy processing facilities.
UBNZ Funds will have to source about 39 million litres of raw milk from Fonterra, and has told Natural Dairy it has leased a vacant factory and sourced three UHT milk production lines.
52 Comments
Bollocks, Maurice.
I have several friends, some lifelong friends, who are of Chinese origin. Some new arrivals in there too.
And I'm against sales to overseas ownership.
This is about being sold down the river, and ending up various degrees of Nigeria.
The word is 'disenfranchised'.
One of the problems with the weak intellects requires to tout growth/markets/no limits, is that they have to 'fit' what they hear to what they think (too strong - 'instinctively know' would be a better description) and nowhere in the Manual of Freemarketeering does it mention lack of options.
Limits, repression, disenfranchise, things like that.
They don't exist.
So it has to be racism.
Sigh.
Tim - "Clearly that would never happen?"
That would, I suggest, be up for debate. Every time you fill up at Shell (locally locally owned now) you in effect condone the continued disenfranchisement of the folk in Nigeria, whose resource it is.
You do so via corrupt officials, a powerful and conscience-less corporate, and at arm's length.
But......
You do it.
And 'they' (regardless of origin), won't?
Where's the crossover from Crafar to 'never happen'?
Please identify the break-point. I don't see any. I see 'you don't know what you've got 'till its gone'
cheers.
You know Maurice......... it's not the first time your mouth gets going before your brain has engaged.......... you want to
sign...? youv'e been told that's the desired outcome more like....and pulling the Race card is the best defence you can
find to public uneasiness...? Boy you really are low rent, low value politics.
You are effectively calling a large part of the N.Z. voting public..........Dumb assed rednecks who wouldn't know a sweet
deal when they saw one .
I've got to say they (John Boy, Billy Bob n Co) picked the right man for the job though..............why because your
expendable......... can't you see that........duh.
No Maurice what they have you doing is signalling intent to a fait accompli and guage the backlash at your expense
genius.
You sadly lack any tactical skills...that's why your third rate......that's why your the ...Right Man FOR THIS JOB....duh.
75% in a TV poll said no to selling our farms to foreign companies. I agree with the consensus.
Apparenly, according to Williamson, my motivation is racism.
I thought I wanted to preserve Kiwi control of Kiwi assets, for my kids to have a shot at owning there own farms if they wished, for my government not to be in the position of being bullied by a bigger power.
Williamson's comments are incorrect and offensive. Get rid.
This issues with the proposal from Natural Dairy to buy the Crafar farms are:
- The credibility of the buyers is doubtful (May Wang, Jack Chen and there wealthy Chinese backers). See:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10662299
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10665100
http://www.nzfarmersweekly.co.nz/article/8134.html
http://www.nzfirst.org.nz/PrinterFriendlyPressReleases/Chinese%20farms%2010-5-10.pdf
- Do they have experience in running farms or processing milk? NO!
- Is the money being used to buy the farms from legitimate sources or is it dirty money being laundered out of China?
- The amount of rural land to be sold could set a dangerous precedent - do NZ people really want to sell large tracks of our land to foreign investors when most countries do not allow this?
- Are our politicians being bought through campaign donations to enable these people to get their hands on valuable NZ farmland?
It's Time For The Friday Smile..........yay
I chose this thread to go out on because I feel all you thinking people deserve a chance to rebuff Maurice's claim that you are nothing short of redneck imbeciles.
and so here's one for Maurice "Albinos ,............can't say fairer than that ! "
Stop that Powder.......dogone it..! ya just luv ta dangle that hook out doncha..... happy fishing
..I hope not too much luck on that bait your runnin
But enjoy your weekend.. and keep the pressure on Maurice...he needs to learn what it's like to earn the dirty dollar.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/4093013/Ministers-racism-comments-ill-timed-humour
"Prime Minister John Key is downplaying comments from Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson that opponents to land sales to foreigners were sometimes being racist, saying it was a case of humour backfiring.
But Mr Key, who has voiced concerns about foreign ownership and said he did not want New Zealanders to become tenants in their own country, said Mr Williamson was probably being flippant.
''Maurice is known for his strong sense of humour and I think it was on display yesterday,'' he told media in Auckland today."
Funny, there don't seem to be a lot of laughter on this thread.
I can just about handle people like Bernard coming out with stuff like:
Opinion: Why 'Save our farms' is a myopic and xenophobic campaign that needs debating
It helps incites debate, I guess, albeit with more emotion and venom than necessary.(But consistent with the approach to the BB's, GenXY debate, it has to be said.) However, slieghting discussants against with accusations of xenophobia and myopia unnecessarily muddies discussion about the underlying issue/s, which are zip to do with racism, one-eyed'ness, whatever, in my view - and Ministers should know better:
http://www.interest.co.nz/comment/reply/50451/571894
Cheers, Les.
They don't come more racist in attitude than the Japanese and Chinese, both think they are a superior race, probably why they can't stand each other as both consider they are the top racial /cultural group. Would be surprised if either let foreigners own much in their lands. Didn't the Chinese have a term for their country that translates they were the 'middle Kingdom' /centre of the world , and that foreigners were called 'barbarians'? How come Maurice Williamson does't discus that aspect?
Dave: The Chinese have never seen the rest of the world as equals, they see us all as cash cows , they don't have land expansion goals, for them China is and will be for ever the center of the world. and as such it needs to be fed with commodities that is their main concern they could not care less for national issues that another country could have about them... but they are watching and learning about us they know our weak links ie. money shortage and credit trigger happy and they will soon want to be in the price chain cause they don't want to pay the abusive prices that they are being charged... the Chinese want much more in return than we think and in several countries they are in direct deals with the producers and are not paying market prices for several industrial commodities. There is a difference with those who move abroad, soon they marry a local and their children won't even speak mandarin and in the next generation they will hardly look Asian at all. And in time one of those kids could become the President of a future NZ republic. But mind you if they had expansionary expectations the could well send to NZ some 20 million chaps and fuck you yellow bafore you notice... and in China it woldn't even be in the news.
Any way who the hell wants to go and buy in China.
If it were white Eurpeans wanting to buy land you would not hear a peep from the lowforeheaded ninnys...
Who cares where they come from? If the would-be foreign land-purchasers plan to send the profits back to their homeland, and will lock Kiwis out of bits of our own country in the process, then they should be told they aren't welcome...and any government that aids-and-abets them should get the same treatment.
Yeah. You're right. Williamson is bang on. Oh. But does that mean that as John Key has voiced concern about New Zealanders becoming tenants in New Zealand that he is a racist?
tee hee. Wonder if John Key has given Maurice Williamson a "Please Explain why you called your prime minister a racist?"
Don't be ignorant. Study Nigeria.
Remember Ken Sarowiri - protesting on behalf of the indigenours folk (that will be us) but up against corrupt politicians, in the pockets of...... Royal Dutch Shell.
So what happens when you and yours go jobless and hungry, but are locked out of the arable land, and have no way of affording it?
You starve and die.
It;s the Free Market in action!
All hail, the invincible code!
So easy to understand! (has to be, follower types are notoriously slow, need to be fed repeated mantras).
Thisa is nothing to do with racism. It IS perhaps to do with culture, though.
And ethics.
I am against foreign ownership of New Zealand. I don't care who the owners are or where they are from. If a person emmigrates to NZ from any country, becomes a citizen, raises their kids here- I think they should be able to own land.
We are not a pack of whores here that will do anything for anybody for a few dollars. Buy us a meal and a few cheap drinks and have their way with us???? If someone whats to own land, they need to commit themselves to this community.
We were in Beijing recently and went to a market which requires bargaining. We were taken by our Chinese tour guide. My wife was going to buy a jersey and the seller was extolling it as genuine cashmir (on clothing label) etc. The guide took her by the arm and away from the stall. She said, "You are New Zealand. They are Chinese and not like you, Chinese not to be trusted and don't tell the truth" Say no more.
Matt McCarten "our agriculture base is coming unstuck with many farms with unserviceable debts - owners are forced into indentured labour for the Australian bank they now call master.
Farmers I know just want to hock their land to any foreign corporation who'll write them a cheque. Remember former Prime Minister Robert Muldoon's infamous 1975 'Dancing Cossacks' advertisement warning us of the threat of red communists taking over New Zealand?
It was dark humour at the time. But is it tragedy or farce that under Muldoon's own party we now have Kiwi farmers begging to sell our country to Chinese communists?"
Good read overall
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/economy/news/article.cfm?c_id=34&objectid=10671148
When the Europeans stole the land from the Maoris they claimed that the Maoris were not exploiting it properly. A few Maori chiefs betrayed their people for a handful of trinkets. What goes around comes around.
In 2010, all it takes is a few world trips and a couple of cases of booze to buy our "pakeha chiefs". This is got nothing to do with race and everything to do with competitian. Are the Springboks let us win because they like us or feel pity on us? No they will compete and beat us by the biggest margin they are capable of. Will the Australian Banks take pity on us poor Kiwis?- no they will bend us over and take us for every cent they can squeeze out of our sweaty little hands. It we let them, we will be bought lock stock and barrel. We will lose everything and become serfs to mind it for our new masters. The Maoris know what it feels like. It is called Capitalism. A committed Capitalist loves and worships only money.
People are nice to us, but it is only because we have what most people want - unpolluted land and a low population. Its called date rape or the sweet talk approach. No one in their right mind is concerned about the ethnicity of the rapist, only the act itself.
Anon "If we do not want foreign ownership of NZ land, we must change the laws"
Let's not loose sight of the fact, it is illegal for non residents (including Aussies) to buy land over 5HA in NZ. That's our law (and it's a good one IMO) now, no need to change anything
They can apply for an exemption but it is not granted unless there is compelling evidence presented of a resulting significant benefit to NZ or NZers . I can't see how changing the ownership of an existing farming operation can be of any significant benefit what-so-ever, despite the absurd spin coming from Bill Rollston.
yes, that's the question. There's going to be a lot of off-balance folk somewhat out of their depth, making knee-jerk calls.
Protectionism will be one of them, probably goes with a lesening of trade anyway, and maybe a fiscal dislocation to boot.
The biggest protection may be by the Chinese, of their equity in US securities.
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