Kia ora,

Let run an example here of what has and is already taking place.

Poronui farm (Ranch)
6,449 hectares of freehold land (16061 acres) situated at State Highway 5, Tuwharetoa (Taupo)

1) land already owned by a family from the US is for sale
2) sold to Westervelt Sporting Lodges (NZ) Limited, which surprise surprise is owned by the Westervelt family from the US (see: http://www.westervelt.com)
3)the cost of the sale is confidential but at a guess it would be conservatively something close to $5000 an acre, at that rate that would be NZ$80,305,000.00 in cost of land alone.

Here is the press release from Cullen about the sale (you get a press release when they know that any knowledge of such a sizeable sale could cause ripples to flow thru sleeping NZ):
- http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=28794

Sale details from the Overseas Investment Commission:
http://www.oio.linz.govt.nz/decision-sheets/mar2007/d200710025.htm

Labour in power, National in power, it doesn't matter. The Overseas Investment Act 2005 has greased the way to selling this country off to the highest bidding overseas investor.

Any freetrade agreements will likely increase sales, but the mechanism is already in place as a trojan horse of sorts to make it possible and easy to be able to syringe land titles into overseas big business ownership.

Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara
www.aocafe.com