Ray McCrostie is relaxed and full of praise over his treatment since agreeing to sell his Mokotua farm to a Maori Trust with financial backing from Dubai interests.
The Southland farmer said he has never kept the buyer of his 150ha sheep and beef farm south of Invercargill a secret, and was not concerned he had yet to receive a deposit from the new owners even though he agreed to sell last spring.
"It has taken the white man 150 years to sort out the Treaty of Waitangi, so it is only fair to give Maori time to sort out their business."
Mr McCrostie was in the middle of lambing last spring when an agent from the real estate firm LJ Hooker arrived and asked if wanted to sell to a Maori hapu.
He has farmed the property for 40 years and said the decision to sell was not taken lightly.
While not revealing the price, he described it as "good" but not in the league of some of the extremely high recent prices.
The sale contract was described by Mr McCrostie as "a very clean deal with no outrageous conditions".
Mr McCrostie said he was impressed at the hapu's innovative thinking - the initial plan is to use 10 farms to produce food for the hapu's Dubai partners but the 99-year supply agreement could eventually mean 28 farms were used.
It was innovative thinking, something Mr McCrostie said had been absent from New Zealand's meat industry, in which he had been involved for 40 years.
"They will work with the indigenous people of New Zealand, capturing food at its source and taking it right through their supply chain to shops and consumers.
"I think it is quite brilliant."
It was not fair to criticise the hapu for being different, because the message coming from the Government was for New Zealand to be innovative.
"I think it is reasoned but innovational thinking, and good luck to them."
The hapu has scaled back its plans and will initially settle the purchase of 10 Southland farms, including Mr McCrostie's, and then look at buying the remaining 18 on which it has contracts.
Mr McCrostie is relaxed about not receiving a deposit "You can only enter these things in good faith and that has been my basic philosophy from the outset."
Concerns about Dubai interest in New Zealand land do not concern Mr McCrostie, who says he has English and Irish migrants as neighbours and points out there are many Dutch migrants involved in the Southland dairy industry.
Such has been his experience, Mr McCrostie said he would be happy to continue to manage the farm for the new owners if he was asked.
