Foreign Investors Snap Up NZ Land for Logging and Farming
New Zealand's primary industries continue to attract foreign investment, with tens of billions of dollars pouring in last year. Overseas investors snapped up forests and farmland, including a 350-hectare forest in Southland bought by Ikea's investor Ingka Investments Forest Assets.
Another major purchase was made by Sustainable Forestry, owned by German insurer HDI Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie V.a.G., which acquired the 893-hectare Mangapapa Forest near Stratford. The land will continue to be used for forestry purposes.
Other notable deals include a property bought by ANZCO Foods in Taranaki for staff accommodation and a sensitive site acquired by Oceana Gold, one of New Zealand's largest gold producers, although the exact location has been withheld under the Official Information Act. Farmland Reserve, owned by the Mormon Church, also purchased its second kiwifruit orchard in Bay of Plenty.
The Overseas Investment Office reported that logging and forestry sectors dominated consent application numbers last year, followed closely by accommodation and electricity supply. Between 2025/26, over $24 billion in transactions came through the OIO, with overseas investors buying into 106,000 hectares of New Zealand land.