8. Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Land Information
How many farm sales to overseas purchasers has he declined since he became the Minister?
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON (Minister for Land Information) Link to this
When approving or declining applications from foreigners to buy land, I am bound by the criteria set out in the Overseas Investment Act 2005, which was passed by the previous Labour Government. Since that Act came into effect very few applications at all have been declined. For example, in 2005 just one was declined; in 2006, just one—
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked this question yesterday. I put it down on notice today. It is a very direct question. We have had a lot of avoiding answering the question; I just want to be given the numbers.
Hon Rodney Hide
Mr SPEAKERNo, I do not need further assistance on this one. The question is a very simple, straightforward question, and material that is not necessary to answer a question should not be included in an answer. Mind you, if I applied that to the questions that are asked, there would not be many questions accepted to be asked, either. But this was a commendably straightforward question. I want to hear the answer.
Given that the Minister has now confirmed that he has not declined even one farm sale under his existing discretions since he has been the Minister, why could he not say yesterday whether he would decline more sales under his new, so-called tighter rules?
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON Link to this
Because the member’s question yesterday required me to be a clairvoyant and work out how many applications we would get, which class they would be in, and whether they would conform to the criteria that are in the Act that Labour put in place. I cannot tell, nor can that member know, what will unfold next year or in the following year.
When the Minister did not answer my question yesterday about how many farm sales he had declined, was that because he was embarrassed that it showed the Government saying one thing but doing another?
Given that the Minister said yesterday he would not confirm that he would decline more than zero farm purchases, does this not make a mockery of John Key’s hand-wringing about the sale of farmland to overseas interests?
Will the Minister decline applications by overseas purchasers interested in buying farms and defaults under mortgages owed to South Canterbury Finance, given that those mortgages are effectively owned by the Crown?
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON Link to this
What I will do as the Minister is comply with the law that was passed by the previous Labour Government. I will take advice from the Overseas Investment Office as to whether applications meet the criteria in the Act. If they do, they will get through, and if they do not, they will not.
I seek leave to table the overseas investment rules, which show it is the Minister’s discretion, not his department’s.