The Government has driven a harder bargain in setting the fees for selling up to 49 per cent of Meridian Energy.

When Meridian chief executive Mark Binns says the country's biggest power generator has some "grunty" assets, he's not kidding.

Retail investors are being offered Meridian Energy shares at a dividend yield of 6.5 per cent this financial year and 7.2 per cent next year.

The Shareholders Association has welcomed a move by the stock exchange to help fund independent research on the Meridian Energy sharemarket float.

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

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.

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.

Meridian Energy - the jewel in the Government's portfolio of crown assets - may be worth nearly $2 billion less than it was valued at a year ago when it is finally listed.

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.

A big questionmark remains as to the wisdom of rushing another and bigger float in a state-owned generator so soon after Mighty River Power, writes John Armstrong.

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.

Meridian Energy's renegotiated contract with the owners of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter includes lower electricity prices and a potentially more abrupt closure.

The New Zealand government posted a smaller operating deficit than forecast in the 11 months ended May 31.

Environmental columnist Sam Judd checks out a new way for farmers to make money that will actually benefit the environment.

New technology allows households to track almost every detail of their electricity use.

The Meridian Energy partial privatisation is so large it may have to be split in two, Prime Minister John Key says.

The 113,000 so called "mum and dad" investors who bought Mighty River shares included companies, trusts and investment institutions, Treasury has confirmed.

Not much time has passed since the Government's Budget announcement that shares in Meridian Energy would be the next to be sold.

The Green Party says that shares sold in the recent float of Mighty River Power went to only a small group of investors - and claims of widespread 'mum and dad' ownership are false.