Govt sees no SOE advice shortage

The listing of Mighty River Power, the first sell-down in the government’s mixed ownership model, has been postponed until mid-2013 largely due to last-minute legal wrangling over possible Treaty of Waitangi issues relating to the sale.

However, speaking at the Institute of Finance Professionals (INFINZ) annual conference yesterday, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce said the delay could actually be beneficial as it would allow time for more interest to build and for investors to get more information about the company.

The extra time would help deal with the “groundswell of interest”, which had been helped by all the “free publicity” given by the mainstream media to the on-going political debate, he said.

“It’s very important we help people make informed decisions when the shares go to market… it will also give us the opportunity to grow the level of interest and publicity in the offer.”