Crafar fights for legal aid

Julie Taylor | 27th July 2010

Reporoa dairy farmer Allan Crafar is struggling to find legal representation as he battles receivers to stay on the family farms.

Mr Crafar and five family members appeared in the High Court at Rotorua yesterday to defend their right to remain on the properties that went into receivership late last year.

Speaking outside court, he said three applications for legal aid had been turned down and he had no money to pay a lawyer, while income from the farms was going towards the receivers' expenses.

"We are having to pay for the lawyers on both sides of this, but we have no money and lawyers don't work for nothing."

Mr Crafar said his ideal outcome would be to pay off the $200 million-plus debt owed to banks and PGG Wrightson, get on with farming again and "stop wasting time and money". He claimed he had received no income from the farms since October.

He had not re-applied for legal aid because the past rejections suggested there was little point.

"What part of no income and no money don't they understand?"

Mr Crafar said this and other continuing legal battles were taking their toll and he would like to see the whole saga finished.

 Yesterday's appearance related to an application by the receivers to remove Allan John Crafar, Jean Crafar, Frank Robert Crafar, Heather Monro, Robert Scott Crafar and Layla Rebecca Robinson from the properties.

Associate Judge Anthony Christiansen told Mr Crafar he would need to get a lawyer before the group's next appearance on Monday, August 23, because there was a lot of work yet to be done.

With the agreement of Mr Crafar and counsel for Plateau Farms' receivers Mark Sandelin, Justice Christiansen ordered that tenancy agreements held by the family be passed to the police documentation examination section in Wellington for forensic examination and the report sent to both parties to continue the case next month.