The Government is on track to meet its target of posting a budget surplus in 2014/15, Finance Minister Bill English says.
He also said that credit-rating companies he met in New York were not concerned about a delay in the partial sale of state-owned Mighty River Power until next year.
"They didn't see it as really significant," Mr English told TVNZ's Q+A programme today.
Mr English is sticking to the government's prediction that asset sales will raise between $5 billion and $7 billion, saying it's a wide range.
It was desirable to return to budget surplus by 2014/15 to stop government debt rising, he said.
"The revenue is a bit less certain than the expenditure. You know, how the world economy goes is going to matter, the speed of recovery in Christchurch, the rate of inflation - there are always uncertainties there but up until now we're on track," Mr English said.
"We're sticking to that 2014/15 surplus. We believe that's achievable."
Mr English said the delay in the sale of 49 per cent of Mighty River Power would not affect the asset-sales target as long as the sale got under way next year.
He admitted that coal miner Solid Energy was not in good shape to sell.
"It's not in the shape where you could put it on the market. There are a lot of issues that need to be sorted out there. The company is getting on with that job and they've got time before we would need to make a decision about that," he said.
In the May budget, the government forecast a $197 million surplus in the year to June 30, 2015.
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