Property owner Joel Parry is aiming big.
The West Otago painter has 3ha of land in Heriot he wants to give away.
But there is a catch.
He will not give it to just anyone.
He wants it to go to someone who will come up with an idea of enterprise and energy which will be good for the town — give Heriot, population about 100, a shot in the arm.
Since his idea hit the headlines in early April, plenty of people had been in touch, Mr Parry said.
But there had not been any idea which had really taken his fancy.
He said the story in the Otago Daily Times in April has spiked interest along with advertisements further north.
Many people had got in contact with some ideas or wanting to buy the land but most seemed to want some infrastructure or property on the land before they started getting serious.
Nearly all of the inquiries came from people in the North Island.
The 3ha was flanked by a golf course and had plenty of potential, Mr Parry said.
He said a couple of people had contacted him and said they had some spare cash and might be interested in getting involved.
Heriot was a nice place, and far enough inland to avoid some of the coastal weather Dunedin received, Mr Parry said.
With a third child on the way within a month, Mr Parry will have his hands full with three children under 4, but he said he was still very willing to listen to offers — if the right one came along.
