A second company interested in buying land in Ashburton with attached water consents says it wants to stop offshore companies from stealing New Zealand's resources.
A second buyer, Keep our Water, is interested in purchasing rights to bottle Ashburton water Photo: 123 RF
Ashburton District Council is selling the lot, which comes with consent to draw 45 litres of water a second from the town's aquifers.
The council has previously said the company in the process of buying the land is interested in setting up a water bottling plant on the site, and has until next month to finalise the sale.
It will not disclose the name of the company or how much it is selling the land for, due to commercial sensitivity, however, RNZ understands it is NZ Pure Blue.
Now, someone else is also interested in purchasing the lot.
In a post on a Facebook page called Keep our Water, the potential buyer said it wanted to ensure large offshore companies did not make a profit from stealing New Zealand's resources.
It said it will meet today with the Bung the Bore group, which opposes the water consents, and will later meet with the council to make an offer for the land.
About 200 people marched in Ashburton against the sale last month.
Hundreds protested the sale of water rights in Ashburton last month. Photo: RNZ / Sally Murphy
