1:08 pm today
Winston Peters.
Winston Peters' threat to nationalise a major Australian-owned bank would send a "bad signal" to potential foreign investors, a veteran economic analyst says.
Peters' party NZ First said if re-elected in November it would merge BNZ and Kiwibank under state ownership. BNZ was sold by the state in 1992 and is owned by National Australia Bank (NAB), which has not indicated it is looking to sell the profitable subsidiary.
Peters on Monday morning said the price would likely be "$7.5 billion upwards", and if its owner was not keen to sell, "they always face the prospect of nationalisation".
