New Zealand

Cash-rich Chinese and Japanese food companies are thought to be the only potential buyers with enough money to risk sinking into New Zealand's biggest pipfruit business, Mr Apple, to be put on the market by South Canterbury Finance receivers.

The approved sale of a large Otago dairy farm to Harvard University in the United States is not in New Zealand's long-term interests and shows a lack of clear and strong rules on foreign ownership of NZ land, says Labour.

An American university is buying a New Zealand dairy farm for more than $28 million as officials and would-be overseas investors get ready for new rules.

New Zealand's Federated Farmers is welcoming the purchase of a big slice of farmland in central Otago by Harvard University for $34.1 million.

Richard Fyers, a commercial lawyer with the NZ China Trade Association, writes about the fuss made over land sales to foreigners.

Emirates Investments Group is looking to buy food and agricultural assets in Australia and New Zealand as global demand climbs, CEO Raza Jafar said.

New Zealand tightened rules for major international purchases of farmland and will now require buyers to show how an acquisition benefits the nation’s economy.

Le gouverneur de la Banque centrale de Nouvelle-Zélande a émis quelques réserves lundi à propos du rachat par des entreprises étrangères, et notamment chinoises, de terres agricoles néo-zélandaises

New Zealand's government announced on Monday it will place new controls on overseas investors buying large land holdings.

"What China needs is safe, healthy Chinese milk and it starts all the way up stream with farming," Fonterra's CEO Andrew Ferrier said.

Fonterra today signed an agreement with the Government of Yutian County in China which formalises the final stage of due diligence on two potential Fonterra dairy farm sites.

Fonterra says it is having a "very close look" at relaunching a processing business in China as it faces a rapidly growing competitive threat from Chinese manufacturing startups with their own large-scale dairy farms.