Poronui Land ‘Not Good Proposition’

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31139, 16 August 1966, Page 9

Poronui Land ‘Not Good Proposition’

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, August 15.

American investors negotiating to buy the Poronui station in Hawke’s Bay were going to make a “pretty fair loss,” said the Minister of Lands (Mr Gerard).

“This is not a good proposition,” he told Parliament during a debate on the estimates of the Department of Lands and Survey and the Crown Lands Department. Replying to opposition questions, Mr Gerard said the Maori owners of the station wanted to sell and there was nothing to stop overseas interests from buying the 18,000-acre property. He said the question of Government purchase was investigated in 1957-58 and the then Minister of Lands had agreed that the land would not be an economic proposition. Mr Gerard said the Land Settlement Board was not in favour of buying the property in 1958. Mr Gerard said he did not favour overseas ownership but “you have got to take each case on its merits.” Mr M. Rata (Opp., Northern

Maori) asked what advice the Marginal Lands Board had given the Maori Trust Board over the purchase of the station. “I want to make a strong protest about the Government selling this land to absentee landlords,” he said. Mr Rata said there were strong rumours that apart from the Poronui station, about 39,000 acres of land was now being considered for sale in the same area.