New Zealand couple avoids giving 900 hectares of land to developers | New Zealand

A New Zealand The farming family has gifted 900 hectares of beautiful land on the edge of Lake Wakadipu, saying it was “the right thing to do.”

The land at the foot of the significant range will be open to all in 2022, after being handed over to the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust “for the benefit and enjoyment of all New Zealanders”.

Notable station owners Dick and Jillian Jordin have owned and worked on this land for 98 years and want to see it preserved and loved for over a century.

Jillian said she would like to see Jordan’s land’s biodiversity and “symbolism” forever, and that her family spent four years discussing the decision.

“We thought about this idea, it got stuck, so it feels like the right thing to do,” he said. “We want to keep it as it always is. We don’t want buildings or housing all over it. There are a lot of houses … We just want to be a part of saving something.”

Despite numerous offers from foreign developers, Jordins, a well-known local philanthropist, refused.

In a statement, the foundation said it was “very important for the Wakadipu region and the wider New Zealand”.

Bruce Wills, chairman of the foundation, said: “The open lands of the Wakadipu Basin are under increasing pressure from segregation and business development driven by the dual pressures of population growth and tourism.

“But the district’s wide open spaces are the values ​​that attract tourists and new residents to the area.”

The gifted property is freehold land, currently leased as a working farm, and will continue to do so in the near future.

The Central Lakes area of ​​the South Island is home to some of New Zealand’s richest people, and is home to high net worth individuals such as PayPal founder Peter Thiel, jewelry mogul Michael Hill and Trade Me founder Sam Morgan.

According to the 2013 census, more than half of the region’s homes are not vacant – the actual number may have been higher since the boundaries closed in March.

The mayor of Queenstown Lakes said, “We’ve got a lot of billionaires in the district Jim Bolt told the Guardian in 2018. With plumbing, an international airport and plenty of luxury options (there are more than 40 hair and beauty salons in the area, and dozens of vineyards), Queenstown Lakes District has long been an admirable world offer.

But a piece of heaven will now be in the hands of the nation for good.

“This land has been in the family for almost a century, and at this time we have been trying to improve and improve it,” said Dick Jordin. “Having QEII as the custodian of this asset gives New Zealand the comfort and determination to pass on this gift with pride.”