He then used a deed of nomination to transfer the obligation for the purchase over to the countess. Dickie said that agreement had a clause in it that said the countess needed to get consent from the OIO. When RNZ contacted the countess' New Zealand solicitor to request an interview with the countess or a representative, she directed RNZ to speak to Dickie. The special forestry test also lowers the OIO application fee for foreign buyers - $34,100 compared with $49,000 for ordinary transactions. That deal was also done under the special forestry test and turned two sheep and beef farms into a commercial pine forest.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 09, 2019 19:52 UTC