IN September 1956, Transport (Nelson) Holdings Ltd entered into an agreement to lease 910 ha at Redwoods Valley from the Crown for a 13-year term from fanuary 1, 1957. The Redwoods Valley area is 29 km from Nelson, with saleyards, fertilizer works and freezing works within a 16 km radius. The area leased was in an unimproved state with a cover of gorse, fern, heather, and pines. A condition of the lease was that the lessee develop 35 ha/yr and it was expected that 300 ha could be developed. In November 1963, Transport (Nelson) Holdings Ltd entered into an agreement with the Crown to purchase the freehold of the property by way of a deferred payment licence. To round off boundaries, two other properties of 40 and 15 ha were purchased in January 1957, and a further 75 ha in 1961, all in a reverted state.
