If Meridian Energy had already floated, it's a fair bet that its share price would have dropped after the Opposition unveiled its electricity policy a week ago.

A broking firm says a 10 per cent reduction in power prices could be achieved in the current electricity market - meaning the Labour-Greens proposal is unnecessary.

Both opposition parties will be hoping enough potential investors turn off the pending float so they can declare it a disaster, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

"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.

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.

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.

John Key's partial privatisation programme was dealt a major blow this week when the Labour Party announced proposals to regulate the industry, writes Brian Gaynor.

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 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.

A Property For Industry investor is waiting for more information on a proposal to almost double the size of the $382.2 million NZX-listed business.

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.