Sales of land to overseas investors have hit a seven-year high, just as a Herald-DigiPoll survey shows the issue remains a worry for a majority of New Zealanders.
Overseas Investment Office figures show a net 73,143ha - an area larger than Lake Taupo - had been sold to foreign investors by October. Even with sales for the final two months of 2013 yet to be counted, that is the highest annual tally since Carter Holt Harvey sold 176,902ha of forests to United States company Hancock in 2006, which pushed the total that year to 198,346ha.
