Santana Minerals has declined to comment on whether it is seeking to purchase parts of Bendigo Station, after a ‘Farm Land For Sale’ notice appeared in a local newspaper late last week.

The advertisement declared the owner of the farm known as Bendigo Station is selling two separate parcels of land - one approximately 92 hectares and the other 706 hectares.

“The sales of both land parcels will be subject to a boundary adjustment, allowing the vendors to retain some of the farm,” the advert said.

“The owner is seeking offers to acquire either or both of the above parcels of land for farming purposes from New Zealanders who are eligible to buy sensitive farm land without consent from the Overseas Investment Office.”

The Overseas Investment Office (OIO) requires anyone intending to sell Kiwi farm land to an overseas person to meet certain advertising requirements.

The vendor must advertise the land for purchase by a New Zealander on the open market for a period of at least 30 working days before any transaction with an internal buyer is entered into.

“This is to ensure that New Zealanders have the chance to buy farm land before it is acquired by an overseas person,” the OIO website says.

Bendigo Station owner John Perriam directed enquiries from The Central App regarding the sales advertisement to station agribusiness consultant Grant Porter.

“Bendigo Station Limited is just considering its ownership options with that land,” Grant told the App.

“We do have access agreements in place with Santana Minerals on that land and are constantly in communication with them about how we work together as they progress their mining consent application. 

“Whatever other arrangements we put in place will be with consideration to making sure that the local community and the environment along with the farming and viticulture established at Bendigo benefit and are enhanced into the future from any arrangements.”

The Central App asked the mining company on Monday (August 18) if it was actively working towards acquiring land at Bendigo Station, and on Tuesday was told by engagement manager Vicki Blakeborough, after considering the request, the company had “no comment to make”.

In July, it was confirmed Santana Minerals had bought more than 2,800ha of land at Ardgour Station for $25M, subject to OIO approval.

The company is in the process of applying for fast-tracked resource consent for its Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project.

Both Ardgour and Bendigo stations are located close to Tarras, in Central Otago.

Known for its merino, vineyards and historic reserves, Bendigo Station also famously made headlines for being home to Shrek the Sheep, who managed to avoid the muster for six years running before being found with a fleece weighing 27 kilograms.

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