British couple buy exclusive lodge

MARTIN DE RUYTER/ The Nelson Mail

NEW OWNERS: Sir Keith Whitson and his wife Sabine, Lady Whitson, outside their new property.

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Paratiho Farms in Upper Moutere has been purchased by a former British banking executive and his wife, who plan to reopen its exclusive lodge to paying guests.

Sir Keith and Lady Whitson took over this month, having gained New Zealand residency and Overseas Investment Office approval to purchase the multimillion-dollar property, which had been on the market for several years.

The lodge, which was closed last year, was sold by Sally Hunt, who developed it with her late husband Robert Hunt in the 1990s. Mrs Hunt has moved to Nelson.

Sir Keith had a distinguished career with the HSBC Group, the world's largest independent bank. He retired as chief executive 6 1/2 years ago.

The Whitsons have travelled extensively and have lived in many places around the world. When they retired, they embarked upon touring some of those countries they had "been to but not seen".

The couple came to New Zealand for a five-week holiday, but didn't visit Nelson. They learned that the lodge was for sale, and upon returning home to Britain they discovered that a friend was very familiar with the property.

"We heard him talking in quite ecstatic terms about holidays spent in New Zealand at this delightful place that was on the market and how he had been very tempted to buy it himself," Sir Keith said.

The couple did their research, made a conditional offer in April, flew out to see the property and completed the purchase. Sir Keith would not say how much they paid.

The lodge first went on the market in 2003 with a $30 million price tag, but was marketed for $22m before closing its doors in March last year.

Sir Keith said they were looking for a farm first and foremost, "and we wanted something that was in a beautiful part of the country".

Paratiho Farms is 769 hectares and runs 8000 stock, including sheep, cattle and deer.

"It's nice to be in a country where agriculture is still on a pedestal and regarded as a vital part of the economy," Sir Keith said.

The couple said they felt let down by the direction Britain was headed in, and this had partly prompted their move to New Zealand.

"The values we grew up with are not necessarily being supported by the government."

They said they loved the way they were treated here.

"Everybody is so charming and helpful. Nothing seems to be too much trouble. In some ways, we feel the common courtesy is what we would have had in the UK 40 years ago."

The couple have owned three farms in Britain, without being actively involved in them, and felt that their business expertise and travel experience provided the right background for owning Paratiho Farms.

They have three adult children: two daughters still in Britain and a son who, coincidentally, began pilot training in Motueka this year.

Sir Keith still serves on the board of Tetra Laval, which requires him to return to Europe four times a year.

The couple plan to be at the farm this Christmas and to reopen the lodge in time for next summer. "That is probably going to give us the time we need to find our feet."

Several lodge employees have continued working there since the change of ownership. The Whitsons plan to recruit "a really good lodge manager", who they hope will assemble a good team of staff.

The lodge has six private suites. It would continue to target the upper end of the market, Sir Keith said. "It's quite a major commitment for us to come this far. Obviously we thought about it very carefully and deeply before we took the plunge."

- © Fairfax NZ News