National intends to sell another strategic asset

Written By: - Date published: 4:13 pm, September 14th, 2017 - 37 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, assets, Economy, election 2017, farming - Tags:

Green Party press release:

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Selling off Landcorp farms a backward step for New Zealand farming

Eugenie Sage MP on Thursday, September 14, 2017 – 13:57

Selling off Landcorp farms is a backward step for New Zealand farming that risks our land falling into overseas ownership, and worsening water quality, the Green Party said today.

The comments come on the back of National’s announcement it will sell Landcorp farms.

“As a state-owned enterprise Landcorp is accountable to all New Zealanders, and their farms should stay in the public’s hands” said Green Party environment and primary industries spokesperson Eugenie Sage.

“Selling Landcorp farms risks undoing the good work the state-owned farmer has done in recent years to be leaders; farming with the environment, not against it.

“By forming an Environment Reference Group comprising Dr Mike Joy and Dr Alison Dewes among others, reviewing how it farms and phasing out PKE, Landcorp is showing it is serious about reducing the pollution that harms our waterways and climate, not making excuses for it.

“Landcorp can lead the shift to environmentally sustainable farming. Its farms are a public asset we should be keeping, not selling them for overseas buyers to purchase sometime in the future.

“When National flogged off shares to electricity companies they said Kiwis would buy them, but many went to overseas investors.

“New Zealand’s weak overseas ownership laws mean it’s likely some farms will be sold to offshore agribusiness interests down the line, who are able to pay higher prices than local farming companies.

“The Green Party will keep our public assets including Landcorp farms in public ownership. We must keep control over our means of production to ensure our farms are run in the best interests of New Zealanders and our environment,” said Ms Sage.

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From Stuff,

Green Party environment and primary industries spokeswoman Eugenie Sage said the sales risked land falling into overseas ownership, and worsening water quality.

In recent years Landcorp had focused on improving its farms’ environmental performance by forming an environment reference group which showed it was serious about reducing pollution.

…

Landcorp is New Zealand’s largest farmer, running about 140 farms the length and breadth of the country. It has 700 staff, with an average of six per farm.

Press release from Landcorp (PDF) from the setting up of the Environmental Reference Group in 2015,

Expert group supports Landcorp in putting environment first

Landcorp is bringing strong, independent environmental leadership to its management table by establishing an advisory group of environmental experts.

The Environmental Reference Group (ERG) will guide Landcorp’s environmental focus, taking a leading role in implementing sustainable agricultural strategies that put environmental best practice first across all of Landcorp’s operations.

The group comprises six of the country’s leading primary sector experts across a range of fields – Nelson-based environmental strategy expert Guy Salmon (chairman), sustainable farming adviser and veterinarian Dr Alison Dewes (Cambridge), water quality scientist Dr Mike Joy (Palmerston North), agricultural economist and Maori agribusiness consultant Dr Tanira Kingi (Rotorua), primary sector marketing expert Dave Maslen (Christchurch) and inventor and entrepreneur Angus Robson (Matamata).

…

Mr Carden said the group demonstrated a new model for the primary sector, with environmental leaders collaborating in business decisions. The ERG will directly advise the Landcorp board and Mr Carden, helping Landcorp think about how it can change its farm systems and adopt new technologies in some of the country’s more sensitive farming regions.

It’s easy to see why National wouldn’t be happy with that. Presumably any land sold will then be available for resale including to overseas buyers.

37 comments on “National intends to sell another strategic asset ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. tracey 1
    14 September 2017 at 4:33 pm

    Wow@ National making policy on the hoof. Makes you wonder if their rural polls werent looking good hence the Joyce imaginary taxes and stupidity about zero budgets ( given English and Key ran 2 in 2014 and 2015).

  2. Stuff The Politicians 2
    14 September 2017 at 4:33 pm

    National have been very quite about what they will sell if returned to the treasury benches..

    We need the question asked and hear their answer.
    I suspect they will not answer with the truth and just fudge around like always.

    But we need to know, they are our assets after all.

    • tc 2.1
      14 September 2017 at 4:38 pm

      Why bother they’d lie as they’ve always done.

      • tracey 2.1.1
        14 September 2017 at 5:36 pm

        Audrey Young is back heading the cheerleading group for Nats. When did she last have an article dedicated to Nationals promises, policies and omissions? English saying Barclay would work thru but he has relented and done a uturn to let him go overseas?

  3. WILD KATIPO 3
    14 September 2017 at 5:36 pm

    Grrrr… I’ve just spent an hour at my 19 year old nephews place explaining the same things on Hugh Price'( Hugh Price Publishing ) site about asset sales, Roger Douglas , neo liberalism , Keynesianism and various history … real tour de force stuff,… as he was wondering which party to vote , he was veering towards Labour , wasn’t so sure about Greens. Well , he got a fair few things explained and will be reading this :

    New Right Fight – Who are the New Right?
    http://www.newrightfight.co.nz/pageA.html

    But no sooner do I get home ,.. and what do I read FFS ?!!? , – I read this crap about National wanting to sell off more of OUR bloody assets of OUR country ?

    Here’s a wee song … all you have to do is exchange ‘ British soldiers’ for ‘ National traitors ‘ and you’ll catch the spirit.

    Fuck off National , just fuck off !!!

    And fuck your London based Mont Pelerin Society Masters ya bloody lackeys !!!

    Irish rebel song GO ON HOME BRITISH SOLDIERS – YouTube
    go on home british soldiers youtube▶ 3:13

  4. srylands 4
    14 September 2017 at 6:02 pm

    Why should the Government own a farming company? It is simply ridiculous. It is presumably some bizarre accident of history that the company remains in State ownership. The sooner it goes the better.

    • WILD KATIPO 4.1
      14 September 2017 at 6:09 pm

      Typical traitor.

      It fucking happens to be owned by the people of THIS country you fucking gimp and it is not up for sale.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 4.2
      14 September 2017 at 6:11 pm

      Idiot blinkered bludger. Support for strategic economic and environmental research and development is a public service.

      • ropata 4.2.1
        14 September 2017 at 7:10 pm

        Private ownership of farms has turned out to be a pretty shit idea really.

        Everything is sacrificed to the profit motive. Bankers are enjoying the massive debts of the rural sector. Farmers are not turning a profit, they are gambling on capital gains. And they are colluding with the Nats to subvert democracy (ECan) and pollute freely

        Landcorp is far better behaved.

        State ownership of all NZ land would solve a lot of problems. (including the corrupt AKL housing market). Leasehold and LVT is the way of the future

    • Stuff The Politicians 4.3
      14 September 2017 at 7:56 pm

      OK Steve. We know where you stand..

      The fact is, we the people do own this..
      Just because the National Govt cant balance their books, is no reason to sell our assets.
      So— the sooner this Government goes the better.

    • reason 4.4
      15 September 2017 at 8:24 am

      The Government used to run research farms, which in conjunction with our agriculture related university departments gave New Zealand farmers an advantage.

      Nationals contributions have been flogging our Land and farms to anyone ……. Much of it could be to corrupt money ….. which should mean asset forfeiture ….. and return to New Zealand ownership.

      http://www.sarawakreport.org/2017/01/trust-us-new-zealand-can-hide-your-money/ … “Since finance expert Mr John Shewan couldn’t find a single example of a corrupt use of a New Zealand trust fund, Sarawak Report would like to humbly offer him the details of how one such trust was deliberately set up …”

      http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/en/reports/the-untouchables/

      “In 2016, the OIO approved the sale of 362,132 hectares of freehold rural land and 103,731 hectares of leases and other interests in land to foreigners”…..

      “Statistics New Zealand study showed that in 2010, large proportions of the foreign direct investment from the Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong and tax havens was in fact from other countries, led by the UK, US, Germany and Canada. In 2016, other tax havens with investments in New Zealand companies include Vanuatu, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Bermuda and the Bahamas, but the value of their holdings has been suppressed as “confidential”.

      http://canterbury.cyberplace.org.nz/community/CAFCA/key-facts.html

      There needs to be a proper investigation into the real owners and money sources that have been buying up New Zealand …. nothing to hide would mean nothing to fear for them……

      • tracey 4.4.1
        15 September 2017 at 12:46 pm

        The government and tax payers still fund research for farmers. I live just roubd the corner from a main one. Farmers forget this when tgey rail about how much we hste them. Actually we all pay for most if not all of their R and D

    • tracey 4.5
      15 September 2017 at 12:44 pm

      If by bizarre accident of history, you mean wealthy interests were over ridden by the desire of a majority of the people, yes.

  5. silvertuatara 5
    14 September 2017 at 6:29 pm

    Yes, place NZ Landcorp Assets in private ownership and within a generation they will be owned by overseas interests like great slabs of our forestry currently are.If National get reelected the cupboards will be sold bare of any remaining NZ publically owned assets into the back pockets of the 1% in less than 10 years.

  6. timeforacupoftea 6
    14 September 2017 at 6:39 pm

    I know a lot of farmers that will be pleased to see National selling off Landcorp farms.
    I don’t mind them selling the dairy farms myself as long as the money goes into sheep, vegetable / market gardening, horticulture, crop, forestry and dairy sheep.

  7. Southern Man 7
    14 September 2017 at 6:46 pm

    Furthermore, the proposal is to sell the farms at less than market value (see the Jericho Farm dilemma) to 100 of the scions of the squatocracy. Shades of tenure review.

  8. Keith 8
    14 September 2017 at 7:21 pm

    Nice one National. Not able to sell enough state houses quickly enough to investors they move on to selling our rural land to fuck knows who really. As if these types would ever vote anyone but National anyway!

    But think about it. This is the 2017 version of the bullshit “mum and dad” investors of the rural area.

    And lets safely assume the land would be low balled, like the power company shares and would be quickly exchange to profits for the few to, oh I don’t know, some “Blue Dragons” perhaps?

  9. Anthony 9
    14 September 2017 at 7:30 pm

    Excited as I am )both as a kiwi and as a Labour candidate) about the Colmar Brunton poll tonight, this is actually the real news for today.

    National selling more of our country’s assets.

    Or, more accurately, giving them away.

    HNZ houses; huge lan parcels; now our Landcorp farms: is there anything National ISNT giving away?

    We must stop them: we must elect a new Government on 23 September.

    The choice is stark. The choice is plain.

    We’ve got to moblise every vote – now!

    • One Anonymous Bloke 9.1
      14 September 2017 at 7:38 pm

      Entrench the BoRA. Re-nationalise our property.

      Going to do either of those things? Let me be clear about this.

  10. WILD KATIPO 10
    14 September 2017 at 7:42 pm

    If it was my way we would be buying back or simply re nationalizing most of what was sold off , over a ten year or longer period , – and if that meant simply anexing it then negotiations , – so be it. Banks would have to either roll with it or we’d seek new ways,… after that ?… a major push to redevelop industry’s to value added commodity’s for export .

    Not just low dollar for primary so some other bastard can utilize what we grow or dig out of the ground , – then bloody sell it back to us at some obscene profits margin for them.

    Along with pushing in on the technology wave in the south pacific and carving out our own trading niches. Bugger the rest who just want a global monopoly. We should be seeking to be up there with Europe and Japan, – not languishing in outer Mongolia ffs !!!

    A real progressive taxation system , no more foreign speculation , Reserve Bank and Treasury brought back under govt control and regulations , proper govt backed award rates for workers and a large cut back on immigration to put an end to cheap imported labour.

    And if some foreign outfit wanted to set up base here? – automatic 25 year lease for the land they set up on to reviewed with inflationary costs as well as mandatory employing of a % of Kiwis – AND a royalty fee / tax on the profits they made.

    That’d sort the pirates and the opportunists out and make them think twice before assuming we were a bunch of soft touch pushovers.

  11. Thinkerr 11
    14 September 2017 at 9:30 pm

    Greens should not just say they will keep Landcorp Farms.

    They are an ideal opportunity to carry out agricultural R&D that can be used to aid all farmers.

    To get NZ on its feet again, we’re going to have to squeeze every strategic opportunity we can find.

    Plus, it might get some more farmers voting green…

    • Keepcalmcarryon 11.1
      14 September 2017 at 9:45 pm

      No thinkrr, selling landcorp farms would be quite popular with most farmers you would find.
      It’s an ideological thing, many of them have forgotten farmings roots here in nz and subscribe to the deserving hard working landowner myth- landcorp runs counter to that.

      • Thinkerr 11.2.1
        16 September 2017 at 6:30 am

        Useless twats.

        The more that foreign firms buy up our farms, the more they own their own supply chain and the less inclined they are to buy from kiwi farmers.

        Thats what I dont like about neoliberal policies – they’ll sell off their childrens’ future for a bit of political capital today. Only a handful will get wealthy enough to counter that by creating a family dynasty. The rest either dont see what theyre doing or dont care.

  12. savenz 12
    14 September 2017 at 10:33 pm

    Unbelievable! Vote them out!

  13. cleangreen 13
    14 September 2017 at 11:06 pm

    We will get rid of National for sure folks,

    NZ First will join other opposition parties to get rid of this Government I feel confident after the Gisborne Public meeting with him he had over 200 attend the meeting tueday as he said we all need to get rid of this Government as he said he was as concerned about what national is doing to us all as we all were.

    .

  14. SpaceMonkey 14
    15 September 2017 at 6:57 pm

    This should not come as a surprise to anyone by now. Privatisation of the commons is their modus operadi. At this point, after three National Governments, if NZ returns these guys to power… there must be a masochistic streak in the NZ psyche.

  15. eco maori 15
    15 September 2017 at 7:47 pm

    Yes every one with a brain knows Its not wise to sell OUR assets .
    National up to there same dum ass tricks i.e we are going to sell the state farms to help young farmers to get in to farm owner ship. This is a smoke screen to cover/cone us so they can sell to there m8 . This is the classic neo liberal mind set live for the now they are so thick they cannot even foresee the different Scenarios that will happen with there fucked up choices . They worship money for the now over everything else and this neo liberal mind set is what is causing all the bad shit happening around OUR WORLD.