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Government officials are working with Solid Energy to extend the company’s remediation indemnity, which will meet the future costs of returning the company’s mining land to its pre-mined condition, Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall say.

“This will extend a similar remediation agreement made in 1987. It will strengthen Solid Energy’s equity position and ensure that it can effectively rehabilitate land after its mining has been completed,” Mr English says.

The Treasury’s total costs for the Government’s share offer programme were $85.5 million – or 1.83 per cent of the $4.67 billion in total proceeds, Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall say.

This is slightly below the 2 per cent estimate made at the start of the programme, which excluded costs to the share offer companies themselves and the cost of incentives to New Zealand retail investors.

Genesis Energy will have the third-largest New Zealand share register on the NZX when it lists tomorrow, Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall say.

More than 68,000 retail investors have been allocated shares in the energy company’s initial public offering – the final IPO in the Government’s share offer programme.

New Zealanders have the opportunity to buy the majority of available Genesis Energy shares when the offer opens to retail investors tomorrow morning, after the successful completion of the bookbuild.

The Genesis shares have been priced at $1.55 each, meaning total proceeds from the offer will be up to $736 million. Already, $620 million has been committed through the bookbuild, which was the first stage of the share offer.

The Government today confirmed that up to 490 million shares - or 49 per cent of Genesis Energy - will be available for sale through the share offer.

400 million shares – or 40 per cent of the company - will be available through the bookbuild, which opens tomorrow. This is the first stage of the offer, involving local and international institutions and New Zealand sharebrokers, Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall say.

The Government today released further details of the partial float of Genesis Energy, including a 1:15 loyalty bonus share incentive for New Zealand retail investors.

The Genesis share offer will open on Saturday, 29 March, Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall say.

The sale of Genesis shares, with the company expected to list on the NZX main board on 17 April, will bring to a close the Government’s successful share offer programme, Mr English says.

The Government has today confirmed that the Genesis Energy share offer will proceed next month with a different structure from previous Government share offers.

The Genesis offer is expected to open in the second half of March with the company expected to be listed on the sharemarket around mid-April, subject to market conditions, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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.”

Solid Energy’s shareholding ministers, Finance Minister Bill English and Minister for State Owned Enterprises Tony Ryall confirm the Government has been advised that Solid Energy is in discussions with its banks.

“The Solid Energy board is working with Treasury, advisors and the banks with respect to further restructuring options, with the aim of returning the company to a sustainable financial position,” Mr English says.

Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall today welcomed the High Court decision in favour of the Crown following last month’s High Court action regarding the sale of shares in Mighty River Power.

“The High Court decision confirms the Government can proceed to sell up to 49 per cent of shares in four state owned energy companies, in accordance with the legislation passed by Parliament earlier this year,” Mr English says. 

The Government has today announced that KiwiRail’s balance sheet will be restructured in another step towards putting the company on a more commercial footing under its challenging Turnaround Plan.

“Under the plan, the Government is committed to ensuring KiwiRail can fund its business on a commercial basis,” Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall say.

There are two main parts of the restructure:

The Government will today introduce legislation supporting its mixed ownership programme, which will help get on top of debt and pay for priority new public assets like modern schools and hospitals.

Minister for State Owned Enterprises Tony Ryall is introducing the new legislation and confirmed the Government is aiming to undertake the first initial public offering – for Mighty River Power – around the third quarter of this year.

The Government has completed consultation with Maori on removing the mixed ownership companies from the State Owned Enterprises (SOE) Act and will make decisions on new legislation in coming weeks, Finance Minister Bill English and SOE Minister Tony Ryall said today.

"We've completed 10 hui around the country and received about 200 written submissions. It's been an excellent process where Ministers and iwi and hapu have been able to exchange views," the ministers said.

The Government has announced a series of hui to consult with Maori on legislative changes it considers are necessary for the float of minority shareholdings in four State Owned Enterprises to New Zealanders.

Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall will lead the February consultation process with iwi around the country, which will be facilitated by Sir Wira Gardiner.

The Government has confirmed the next steps in its mixed ownership programme to offer New Zealanders minority shareholdings in four state-owned energy companies and Air New Zealand.

Cabinet has agreed that Mighty River Power should be the first company prepared for an initial public offering (IPO), most likely in the third quarter of 2012, subject to market conditions, Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall said today.