IIRC it was James Cameron's ~1500 acre and local business purchase in 2016 that got the notice of NZ citizens. Many fears about the outsize influence foreigners had on their country. This led to the ban on foreigners owning property in part because the "elites" drove up housing prices for the natives - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/new-zealand-foreigners-home-buyers-property-market-ban-a8493161.html