The Government is still working through the best way to sell down its stake in Air New Zealand but says it will be a faster sales process than the power companies.

The Government's decision to move earlier than signalled on the Meridian Energy float shows there is positive interest in the float but pricing will remain key

The Government has today announced a timeline for the Meridian float, in which it hopes to raise around $2.3 billion.

Treasury advised the Government not to pay the owners of the Tiwai Point smelter to keep the business running, documents released this afternoon show.

Prime Minister John Key said yesterday that the School Journal would continue despite the decision to close the state-owned enterprise that produced it.

If history is any guide, the upcoming referendum on the sale of state owned assets will achieve a huge vote in favour of no more sale.

Investors in soon-to-be-floated Meridian Energy could receive a net dividend yield of up to 6.8 per cent, based on analyst valuations.

Five months after the first share float of Mighty River Power a referendum on asset sales is to go ahead - news accidentally tweeted by the Greens co-leader.

For a man who claims to have become an accountant out of sheer laziness, Paul Chambers has a lot on his plate.

No sooner had Mark Binns taken over as chief executive of Meridian Energy in January last year, than he was confronted with the lowest inflows into its hydro lakes in more than 80 years.

Mighty River shares are up nearly 2 per cent this morning after a good profit announcement.

Shares in Mighty River Power traded at $2.18 this morning, their lowest point since listing on May 10.

Prime Minister John Key and Finance Minister Bill English have revealed a new strategy for the Meridian Energy share offering.

The Government has turned up the sweeteners to attract retail investors to the Meridian Energy sharemarket float but analysts say punters need to remain wary of the potential downsides.

Markets writer Tamsyn Parker says details for Meridian Energy's share market float provide both a huge incentive and the potential for a huge disaster for investors, writes Tamsyn Parker.

Details of the Meridian Energy share float have been released, and new shareholders will only have to pay 60 per cent up front for a stake in our biggest power company.

Ninety-three people will lose their jobs at Huntly East Underground Mine in more cutbacks announced today by struggling State-owned coal miner Solid Energy.

A Treasury document obtained by Labour details a host of "initiatives" in this year's Budget which would be paid for by the asset sales fund, writes John Armstrong.

Funding generated by the Government's asset sales programme now extends to the $40 million bill for the Mighty River share loyalty bonus scheme.

Meridian's deal with Rio Tinto to keep the Tiwai Point smelter open until January 2017 has cleared the way for its sharemarket listing.

Meridian Energy could be listed on the sharemarket before the end of October after clearing a big hurdle by finalising contract talks over the Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter.