In its presentation the company, which owns more than 5300ha of farmland in Otago and Southland, said it was focused this year on lifting its foreign ownership percentage.
As of December 31, its foreign ownership was about 22.4%.
The roadshow included presentations in Munich, Luxembourg, Zurich and Geneva.
Under the Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2021, the company may have up to 49.9% of its share register made up of foreign domiciled shareholders, subject to certain share parcel restrictions.
Private companies in New Zealand were limited to less than 25%, the company said.
The company listed on the NZX in December 2020 after completing a $75 million IPO.
In last year’s financial results, it posted an after-tax net profit of $39.7 million, up from $15.1 million the previous year.
It owned and leased rural land to farmers and food producers but was not involved in their operations.
That comprised 6333ha in Canterbury, 3991ha in Otago and 1386ha in Southland and it has seven tenants.
Previous acquisitions included a portfolio of South Canterbury and North Otago farms following the receivership of high-profile dairy operation Van Leeuwen Group.
New Zealand Rural Land Company’s initial focus had been on acquiring dairy properties.
The intention was to expand focus to other primary sectors, particularly as investment opportunities arose in horticulture, viticulture and forestry as well as sheep and beef, the presentation said.
The company had undertaken studies to better understand carbon sequestration opportunities on marginal or non-productive land and areas suitable for increasing biodiversity.
Such initiatives, if progressed, would contribute to climate change mitigation, cash generation and biodiversity improvement.
In October last year, it announced a $63 million forestry estate acquisition in Manawatu-Whanganui — the settlement date for acquisition is April 15.
The estate comprised five individual properties with a total area of 2400ha.
The planted area with carbon Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) potential of 1889ha, of which 1458ha was registered under the ETS.
The remaining 431ha had been identified as potential ETS areas.
The purchase would be funded using a combination of debt and equity and there was an option for the company’s tenant partner New Zealand Forest Leasing — which would lease the estate for 20 years — to purchase up to about 48% of the asset if required.
New Zealand Rural Land Company said it owned and leased some of the best farmland in the world, offering an "unparalleled investment opportunity".
The company was the only pure-play, NZX-listed exposure to agricultural land in New Zealand and provided investors with a liquid and inflation-hedged investment.
Shareholders received twice-yearly dividends plus growth in land value.
Since listing, the company had established a track record of outperforming the broader rural land market, it said.
Preliminary independent valuations of it’s investment properties showed, in aggregate, the properties had increased in value by 0.9% ($2.46 million).
The increase highlighted the attractiveness of farmland as an investment in times of rising interest rates, high inflation and market volatility, especially when compared with other investments including commercial real estate.
By only owning the land, the company had no direct exposure to the operational risks of farming, it said.
