Business

Iwi lifts annual net profit 20%

11:42 am on 9 October 2014

South Island iwi Ngai Tahu lifted annual net profit 20 percent after a near 50 percent increase in operating earnings.

The result also included profits from selling down its Ryman stake and earthquake insurance payouts.

Net profit for the year ended June rose to $145.9 million from $121.9 million the previous year.

The iwi says it had exceptionally strong residential property sales, increasing returns from its dairy operations, a record seafood result and improved earnings from its tourism operations.

Ngai Tahu says its property division had an exceptional year and it expects this to continue while the seafood operations have chalked up five successive record annual results.

The chair of Ngai Tahu Holdings, Trevor Burt, says the results illustrate the benefits of have diverse investments.

Profit from associates and joint ventures more than doubled to $2.2 million from less than $1 million the previous year.