Work to do on asset sales - Key

Maori King Tuheitia and Prime Minister John Key at the opening of the Novotel at Auckland International Airport this morning. Photo / Greg Bowker

The Prime Minister has acknowledged he has work to do to get the country on board with state asset sales after a Herald-Digi Poll showed voters don't like National's plans to sell.

The poll, released this morning, showed 62.4 per cent did not approve the partial sale of assets to raise $7 billion.

Mr Key outlined his state assets policy in January, when he proposed selling up to 49 per cent of state-owned energy companies Mighty River Power, Meridian, Genesis and Solid Energy and reducing the Government's 75 per cent shareholding in Air New Zealand.

This morning, speaking after the opening of the new $65 million Novotel Auckland Airport today, Mr Key said he recognised there was still some convincing to do.

"I think we'll continue to make the case to New Zealanders that what we're doing is keeping majority control [of] any shares we sell.

State owned assets would be a safer investment for many who had been burned by failed finance companies, he said.

"At the front of the queue will be Kiwi mums and dads...there are huge opportunities for better investment for them.

"Ultimately building out the stock exchange in New Zealand, making sure that their are alternative investments to sort of failed finance companies is going to be an important step for New Zealanders so there's a sales job to be done but I'm confident it's the right step for New Zealand."

Mr Key said there would be no special mechanism by which iwi would skip to the front of the line.

"But like other New Zealanders we are keen to make sure that New Zealanders are the buyers of those shares.

"So whether it's iwi or the Crown Financial institutes like the Superfund or the 1.7 million Kiwi Saver accounts or retired mums and dads who want to find a place to put some spare cash, they are all the target market for shares we want to sell in S.O.Es."

Mr Morgan, who is the chairman of Waikato-Tainui's executive board Te Arataura, said his tribe would be hosting an iwi forum at the annual Koroneihana [coronation] celebrations at which he hoped to build a consortium to take advantage of the policy.

"[The Iwi Leader's Forum's] primary focus will be the formation of an economic consortium - that is an approach that better positions iwi across the country in relation to the sell down of government shares.

"We have to be prepared to do business when the Crown makes the announcement what is to be sold."

Power producers Genesis, Mighty River Power and Solid Energy were at the top of Tainui's "shopping list," partly because they were all in the tribe's region."

National still in the lead

The Herald-Digi poll also found National's popularity has not been dented despite a large majority of voters opposing one of its main policy planks for the election in six months - a partial sale of some state assets.

With 54.4 per cent support from decided voters, National has kept its commanding lead over Labour, which is on 33.7 per cent.

If the poll were converted to an election result, National would be able to govern alone without needing any of its present support parties, Act, the Maori Party and United Future.

Prime Minister John Key has a huge lead in the preferred prime minister poll with 67.7 per cent support, ahead of Labour leader Phil Goff on 11.9 per cent.

The new Mana Party's leader, Hone Harawira, appears on the preferred prime minister list for the first time with 1.6 per cent support, slightly ahead of Act's new leader, Don Brash, on 1.2 per cent.