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A proposal to financially restructure Solid Energy has been agreed between the Crown, the company and key lenders, Finance Minister Bill English and Minister for State Owned Enterprises Tony Ryall say.

“As we have said previously, ministers were not prepared to expose taxpayers to on-going losses if Solid Energy’s core business was not considered viable,” Mr English says.

Meridian Energy’s agreement with New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS) will provide greater certainty for Tiwai Point smelter workers, the wider Southland region and the New Zealand electricity industry, Finance Minister Bill English and SOE Minister Tony Ryall say.

Meridian this morning announced it had reached an agreement with NZAS on a new electricity contract for the smelter.

Schools, Christchurch hospitals, KiwiRail and irrigation are four of the biggest recipients of new capital allocated from the Future Investment Fund in Budget 2013, Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall say.

The Government is taking the next step in its share offer programme and preparing Meridian Energy for partial sale later this year, Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall say.

This follows the successful listing last week of Mighty River Power on the New Zealand Stock Exchange.

113,000 New Zealanders will become shareholders in Mighty River Power following a successful share offer, Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall say.

The final price will be $2.50 per share.

Of the shares issued, 86.5 per cent will be New Zealand owned: 26.9 per cent by New Zealand retail investors, 8.6 per cent by New Zealand institutions and with the Crown retaining a majority 51 per cent shareholding. That leaves 13.5 per cent for overseas institutions.

The Government and Mighty River Power are filing a supplementary disclosure to the Mighty River Power offer document, say Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall.

The document is being lodged with the Registrar of Financial Service Providers this afternoon.

"The existing MRP offer document already outlined the principal risks associated with an investment in MRP shares," Mr English says.

The Mighty River Power share offer opens for business tomorrow with New Zealanders having three weeks to apply to buy shares.

Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall today confirmed that the share offer will proceed, with Mighty River Power expected to be listed on the stock exchange for the first time on May 10.

New Zealand retail investors in the Mighty River Power share offer will receive one loyalty bonus share for every 25 shares they hold for two years from the offer, up to a maximum of 200 bonus shares, Finance Minister Bill English says.

"The loyalty bonus scheme that I am announcing today is another way to encourage widespread and substantial New Zealand ownership of shares in MRP," Mr English says.

"It also recognises the loyalty of those New Zealanders who retain their shares and contribute towards the country's savings culture."

New Zealanders are being given an incentive to pre-register their interest in the Mighty River Power share offering, Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall say.

Those who pre-register may be allocated up to 25 per cent more shares than people who do not pre-register, if demand exceeds shares available.

Mr English and Mr Ryall announced the incentive at the launch of the official three week pre-registration period for the Mighty River Power share offer in Auckland today.

Finance Minister Bill English and Minister for State Owned Enterprises Tony Ryall will tomorrow officially launch the pre-registration period for New Zealanders who are interested in finding out more about the Mighty River Power share offer.

“National campaigned on this policy at the election in 2011 and it has been extensively discussed before and since then,” Mr English says.

“It has been through the High Court and the Supreme Court where the Government has won both cases and now, at last, it’s time to get on with it.”