KEY POINTS:
Auckland Airport chairman John Maasland says he is frustrated with Government comments which wiped 4 per cent off the airport's market value yesterday.
"We've seen $300 million or so knocked off the share price. So there are 53,000 mum and dads who wake up this morning with the value of their shares substantially lower," he said.
"One accepts there are going to be negative elements, one accepts it is not going to be an easy situation because it is foreign ownership of a substantial asset. But leave it to the shareholders."
Auckland Airport shares fell as much as 20c yesterday before bouncing back to close down 15c at $3.13 after comments by Trade Minister Phil Goff suggested the Government would not support the sale to foreign owners.
Dubai Aerospace has made an offer which values the airport at $3.80 a share, but faces a political battle to get the deal through because it depends on Manukau and Auckland councils agreeing to sell.
Three other potential bidders - Canada Pension Plan, a Macquarie Bank-led consortium and Australia Pacific Airports Corporation (Apac) - are all understood to be considering their own bids.
None of those parties suggested they were packing their bags yesterday but behind the scenes bankers are fuming at what they see as political point-scoring at the expense of the New Zealand market's international reputation.
Goff later indicated the comments reflected a Labour Party view rather than a Government view.
While he accepted that point, the perception the comments had created in the market was worrying, Maasland said.
The lower valuation of the shares was a sign the market now saw less chance of a deal succeeding, said Forsyth Barr analyst Jeremy Simpson.
The political pressure was the only new information yesterday, although markets had generally been down across the board, he said.
"The market is weighing up the possibilities of the bid being successful and / or someone else potentially coming in."
