Overseas investment into primary industries like forestry and farming continues to play a part in the New Zealand economy.

The investment is part of tens of billions of dollars of foreign capital that entered the economy last year, according to the Overseas Investment Office.

Among the overseas investors snapping up forests was furniture giant Ikea's investor, while a Bay of Plenty mixed farm was bought by a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints subsidiary.

Details of the purchases are included in the latest applications approved by Land Information New Zealand/Toitū te Whenua's Overseas Investment Office (OIO) in June.

Ikea's Ingka Investments Forest Assets of the Netherlands has bought the 350-hectare Taringatura Forest in Southland, adding to its 43,000 hectare forest portfolio in Aotearoa - for more production forestry, from local parties Benmore Two and Benmore Two Forest Partnership.

"The Applicants will acquire the land, and hold a forestry right over the land, respectively," said the OIO decision, that noted consent was granted as the national interest test was met.

"[They] intend to continue using the land for forestry purposes."

Sustainable Forestry, owned by German insurer and financier HDI Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie V.a.G. will also acquire the 893-hectare Mangapapa Forest at Tangarakau near Stratford from local firm, New Street Capital.

The land will continue to be used for forestry, the OIO said.

Another, majority Japanese-owned company ANZCO Foods has bought a property neighbouring its Eltham beef plant in Taranaki for staff accommodation.

The country's largest gold producer, mostly North American-owned Oceana Gold, has acquired freehold interest in sensitive land for its open pit and underground gold mine.

The location has been withheld under the Official Information Act, but it was likely either its Waihi or Macraes sites.

Late last month, RNZ reported that Farmland Reserve, owned by the Mormon Church, had bought its second kiwifruit orchard in Bay of Plenty.

This one was also a large dairy farm named Koromiko Dairies near Pukehina that would be run by Craigmore Sustainables, as was its first orchard purchase in New Zealand, and would undergo a roughly $32 million redevelopment. Grazing livestock may continue on the site, a Craigmore spokesperson said.

Between 2025/26, Land Information said more than $24 billion in transactions came through its OIO.

Logging and forestry sectors dominated consent application numbers, followed by accommodation then electricity supply.

Though they excluded consents for homes foreign investors would live in.

Over the year, overseas investors bought into 106,000 hectares of New Zealand land.