![Brian Rudman: Shearer electrifying free-market debate](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=795)
Brian Rudman: Shearer electrifying free-market debate
"What just happened?" asks Brian Rudman. "Bland, colourless Labour leader David Shearer has suddenly been transmogrified into a working-class hero."
"What just happened?" asks Brian Rudman. "Bland, colourless Labour leader David Shearer has suddenly been transmogrified into a working-class hero."
The war of words over the Opposition's electricity market reform plan has flared again as political opponents traded fire over the plan's economic impact.
Mighty River Power expects it would take at least five years for the Labour and Green party's new electricity policies to be enacted, and John Key says it won't happen.
Investors who applied for Mighty River Power shares have been given a deadline to withdraw their applications if concerned about the Labour-Greens' power policy plans.
Labour's proposed shake-up of the energy sector could slash up to 20 per cent off the value of Mighty River Power although analysts rate the chances of the Opposition's plan going ahead at less than 50 per cent.
As Rio Tinto and Meridian Energy haggle over the price of power for the Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter, optimism about the metal's future has faded.
Political commentators have been quick to point out that New Zealand voters now have a real choice, writes Liam Dann. Sometimes it seems we have two poor choices.
Matt McCarten looks at the plans of Labour and the Greens to set up an electricity agency, NZ Power, if they are elected next year.
Millions of dollars of NZers' savings have been wiped after Labour and the Greens announced plans to reform the wholesale electricity market, the Government says.
The Labour-Green proposal to cut Kiwi householders' power prices through radical market reform has been given the thumbs-up by consumer groups, but energy sector commentators are divided on the plan.
Labour and Greens want Crown-owned single buyer to set electricity prices for generators.
The Government says Labour and the Greens are trying to sink the Mighty River Power share float with a hastily drafted threat to impose Soviet-style intervention on the electricity market.
Labour and the Greens are promising a major intervention in the retail power system in a bid to lower residential power prices if they win next year's election.
The Government says it won't be able to say how many people have applied to buy shares in Mighty River Power until after the offer period has closed.
Potential Mighty River Power shareholders have had plenty to digest and dissect since the prospectus for the part-sale of the state-owned enterprise was released this month.
Brokers and analysts are predicting a strong take-up of Mighty River Power shares as the offer opens to the public today.
The proof will be in the pudding for the Government next week as the Mighty River Power share offer officially opens to the public on Monday. It's hard to know how many of the 440,000 people who pre-registered will buy shares.
Crucial face-to-face talks between the owners of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter and Meridian Energy resume in Wellington today, and could take the rest of the week.
Market players are divided over the attractiveness of Mighty River Power's bonus scheme and say it's hard to know if it will encourage investors to keep hold of their shares.
A startling aspect of the 73 per cent pay rise for directors of Mighty River Power is that John Key says it is "realistic" and "sensible" to do it now, writes Judy McGregor, before the company is listed on the sharemarket next month.
The Government has set a price range of $2.35 to $2.80 per share for the partial privatisation of Mighty River Power.
Mighty River Power directors are to get a 73 per cent pay rise, it has been confirmed ahead of the release of offer documents for the company's partial float tomorrow.
When people like the PM talk of an orderly transition to a post-smelter environment, they are talking about the scrapping of generating capacity, writes Brian Fallow.
The Government and its flagship asset sale programme will not be held hostage by Rio Tinto over the mineral giant's threat to close the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, Prime Minister John Key said yesterday.
Rio Tinto isn't going to get a deal out of the Government and is likely to shut down the Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter potentially at the cost of thousands of jobs over the next five years.
Negotiating with Hollywood moguls must now feel like a bit of a doddle for John Key compared to mixing it with the cold-blooded, razor-wielding gang of cost accountants from Rio Tinto.