In 1999, a New York billionaire was allowed to buy a historic pastoral farm on the Hawkes Bay coast after promising to use it to lure tycoons to invest in New Zealand.
Monday, November 24th 2003, 6:17AM
by The Landlord
The businessman's application to the Overseas Investment Commission said the coastal property halfway between Napier and Wairoa would be developed for hunting, fishing, kayaking, hiking and mountain-biking "as an ambassador property for high-level business persons"...
Four years on, there's no sign of the lodge planned to house the Long Island resident's rich business acquaintances or the job opportunities "for the Hawkes Bay area". Nor of the promised plantings of zinfandel, a new grape variety which would increase export opportunities.
