A strategic review of its core operations is being carried out by State-owned enterprise Meridian Energy, since the Government seeks for profit and productivity improvements from the SOEs.

Alan Seay, Meridian communications director, said that previously strategic review was similar to others done at the company and had no pre-determined outcome. Seay said that the exercise would take more than a year.

State-owned Enterprises Minister Simon Power and Finance Minister Bill English announced the Government's opinions on SOE performance.

The two confirmed it on the chairs of the organizations to the Beehive in April. Power said that better performance must not be at the expense of consumers.

He said, "We made it clear we expect SOEs to use levers other than blunt instruments like prices and jobs to achieve performance." "We expect them to be profitable and return appropriate dividends to the taxpayer -- but without ratcheting up prices."

(via TopNews New Zealand. Contributed by Omaka Nelson)