Govt insists Kiwis will lap up shares in sold assets

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Thu, 15 Dec 2011 6:14p.m.

Up to 49 percent of shares in the country's power companies are to be sold

Up to 49 percent of shares in the country's power companies are to be sold

By Patrick Gower

Mighty River Power has hydro stations across the upper North Island. There's thermal power too, as well as retailer Mercury Energy.

And the chance to get a piece of the action will be coming to a stockbroker near you as early as July next year.

"We want New Zealanders at the front of the queue," says Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Tony Ryall.

3 News asked the ministers selling it off if they'd be up the front to get themselves a slice.

"It's not appropriate that we are involved," says Mr Ryall.

But they expect plenty of other Kiwis to have a go.

"There will be many, many, many thousands of New Zealanders that would want to participate directly," he says.

Although there are questions about the kind of Kiwi who has the spare cash to take part.

"Most people watching this will be thinking, 'How can we pay the mortgage, how can we pay the school fees, how can we pay for the food?' and everything else," says Greens co-leader Russel Norman.

"Who's gonna be able to afford the assets? Of course it's the top 10 percent who just got $2 billion a year in tax cuts."

And as for getting Kiwis to the front of the queue, there are still no details as to how that might be achieved. 

"It will be very much dependent on what comes out of the due diligence and the market soundings that the lead managers undertake," says Mr Ryall.

And iwi may get themselves a special queue to buy shares. They are considering grouping together as a consolidated "iwi-saver" fund, and with the buying power could be treated separately alongside the big superannuation and investment funds in the sell-off.

But however it works out, the sale is underway.

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Comments

28 Dec 2011 06:03p.m.

Paora wrote:

'TrojanHorse'. Cryptic crosswords have never been something I resolve easily. I find your cryptic 'Blog' equally so. The analogy you attempt to raise is lost before translation can kick in to obviate your point, whatever it was.

28 Dec 2011 10:49a.m.

TrojanHorse wrote:

Just as TROY fell so shall NZ in our own Greek tragedy. The Public Private partnership is being used World wide to transfer in the last of the wealth of Sovereign Nations before the Axe of the Tyrants fall. Once the fight begins ALL BETS are off, Anyone will be fair game.

22 Dec 2011 12:17p.m.

Louise wrote:

The solution is not to sell. Selling reduces the capacity of ownership which will eventually lead to overseas ownership. What these MPs need to do is get down to ground zero and actually participate in the everyday running of the country. Maybe then they will realise that decisions they so readily make are not applicable. Their dictatorial attitudes need curbing immensely.

19 Dec 2011 04:50p.m.

Paora wrote:

@madness/Ian/AaronC/Romeo and the other sceptics. To answer your scepticism, I offer myself as an example of a person who once was a 3 pack+ a day chain smoker. When I stopped cold 25 years ago, I banked all the cigarette money I saved from not smoking. These savings on their own, purchased an investment house which now pays itself off and I still have over $100,000 in my retirement account and happy to invest at least half of this in Govt shares. Many of our friends are in a similar position and just waiting for the opportunity. Those who have squandered their money on the excesses of life for things like smoking, gambling, more than a relaxing amount of alcohol and possibly drugs, may not now have the means to invest wisely for their retirement. But it's not too late, even for them.

18 Dec 2011 08:17p.m.

romeo wrote:

when they list at ten or 12 bucks tell me ordinary mums and dads have the spare cash to bye them . cost you a fortune to have enough to make it worthwhile .

18 Dec 2011 05:34p.m.

AaronC wrote:

Theres either profit in it for the investor, so NZ families lose, or theres no profit in it for the investor, and Kiwi families win, but no investor would want a bar of that. Obviously this will hurt all Kiwis, unless you're rich enough to buy in and be a parasite on poor and middle income households.

17 Dec 2011 01:51p.m.

ben wrote:

paul so do you ,we have been taken for one of the biggest rides in nz political history . one week before the election mr key anounced asset sales were on the back burner . the only way national gets away with the is becouse the media wont hold them to acount that amounts to being their propaganda arm patrick gower . .

17 Dec 2011 08:48a.m.

Mike wrote:

If you chose your Kiwisaver provider, could chose one that invests in our utilities. Is over a million Kiwisavers in NZ who can chose to invest in our utilities. But wait! Labour and its supporters in this forum dont support working NZ. Even the government Kiwisaver will be looking to invest a large amount in our utilities as they are low risk which is ideal for institutional investors like Kiwisaver and ACC. If take the money both of those receive in a year vs what they are paying out, they could between them buy the whole 49% if they were allowed to buy that much! Plus it would be much better than Labours recommending they invested in Madoff!

Anyone who can budget could save even before Kiwsaver so the average person can afford to invest.

If you smoke, give up smoking and you will typically save over $4000 a year. Given smokers also take more time off work than non-smokers, by not smoking you can also earn more! If your a pot smoker, then as pot costs more than ordinary smoking your obviously one of the rich NZ'rs who can afford the habbit. Who in NZ has higher % of drug takers - the richest top 10% or the bottom 10%? Beneficiaries - as they have it too easy when they can afford to waste money on drugs, tobacco, alcohol ... and since prostitution is legal they probably also are good spenders there too!

16 Dec 2011 02:02p.m.

ian wrote:

Winston is right - it is all "pyscho babble", the mums and dads that i know don't have a spare $10,000:00. to spend on such investments.Mr Keys buddies and friends might. Trust has gone completely out the door already, just watch the big money buyers move in and take up this gift of a "golden cash cow", and before too long, price rises demanded by profit seeking private owners of the tax payer funded nation asset, and eventual overseas ownership . Don't trust this Government!!!

16 Dec 2011 01:40p.m.

Ruz wrote:

When Ryall says "There will be many, many, many thousands of New Zealanders that would want to participate directly," he is acknowledging that New Zealanders already own the assets that will be sold off. The key word is "directly".