Is Natural Dairy lawyer privately advising Government?

Finance Minister Bill English needs to find out if a corporate lawyer advising the Government on rewriting the Overseas Investment Act is also working for the overseas investors looking to buy Crafar farms, Green Party Co-Leader Dr Russel Norman said today.

Dr Russel Norman asked Mr English yesterday whether Andrew Petersen of Bell Gully on the Government’s Technical Reference Group (TRG) is the same Andrew Petersen who is reportedly working for Hong Kong based Natural Dairy NZ Holdings alongside Kerry Knight of Knight Coldicutt. Mr English was unable to answer as he had no idea.

“Bill English appears to have no grasp about what is happening with his re-write of the Overseas Investment Act,” said Dr Norman.

“Natural Dairy’s attempt to buy up Crafar Farms is the most contentious overseas purchase of New Zealand land in the last few years.

“It now appears that a lawyer working on behalf of Natural Dairy is also advising the Government and privately meeting with Bill English.

On 18 February Mr English met in Auckland with the lawyers from the TRG – one of whom is an Andrew Petersen of Bell Gully. According to an email released under the Official Information Act no officials were present. This was to encourage the lawyers to have a ‘free and open discussion with the Minister’ (English).

Although further information is available pertaining to this meeting Mr English has refused to release any of it despite Green Party requests under the Official Information Act.

Treasury advice to the lawyers on the TRG is that that they produce no report to avoid conflicts of interest.

“Bill English actions in keeping secret his meeting with the TRG and Treasury’s advice that the TRG leave no paper trail is completely at odds with an open democracy,” said Dr Norman.