The Government is taking a beating over foreign ownership and there's no let up in sight.
With the High Court blocking the Crafar Farm sale to Chinese company Shanghai Penxin, they're awaiting a new decision from the overseas investment office, and Prime Minister John Key says the deal’s future is uncertain.
“That will depend on the ministers who decide that and their interpretation of the law and why they think the OIO has said yes or no, whatever their decision is,” he says.
If they give it the go ahead for the second time, it will once again come down to the Government, a Government Key says has been reluctant to sell land.
“[There have been] substantially less sales under National than the previous Labour Government, probably because we did tighten up and without Crafar Farms going through 72 farms have have been sold in the last 18 months out of 45,000,” he says.
Mr Key says this policy will not change, but the Government will stick to its guns when it comes to the economy.
“The Government is very committed to its economic agenda, so we wanna make New Zealand stronger and the reason we want that is it gives people choice and better services,” he says.
3 News