New Zealand First can reveal serious holes in Land Information (LINZ) data that the government claims to show low levels of overseas ownership.

“The government’s data is bumph and only proves its specious honesty box approach to foreigners buying our land,” says New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“A weak Minister in a government denying reality is talking up data that simply does not exist.

“From the horse’s mouth, Inland Revenue, we have this: ‘Inland Revenue does not record information based on tax residency’.

“How do we know that the 63 per cent of purchasers in Auckland claiming to be Kiwi tax residents are that, when Inland Revenue doesn’t even know?

“Is LINZ special? Because when it comes to Kiwi citizenship, the Privacy Act prevents Inland Revenue and Internal Affairs sharing information.

“Then there is the large hole in LINZ data where ‘No statement or tax information is required’. Some hole when it accounts for 39 per cent of sales in the North Island and 38 per cent in the South Island.

“This window dressing data isn’t worth the paper it is printed on, which is why, New Zealand First’s Land Transfer (Foreign Ownership of Land Register) Amendment Bill is before Parliament. We want New Zealanders to properly know who is taking over their country.

“Instead of doing the right thing, National has reinterpreted the 3-Wise Monkeys as ‘see no foreign buyers; hear no foreign buyers; and don’t stop foreign buyers’,” Mr Peters said.

A NZ First press release 1 August 2016