Airport decision damaging

Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett remains critical of the process used to stop the sale of shares in Auckland airport to the Canadian pension fund.

Mr Barnett says financial markets and investors rely on knowing what the rules are at any given time. “They have a right to believe they will not be changed half way through a process because one party or another decides they don’t like a potential outcome”,

“Like it or not, New Zealand relies on foreign investment and I fear this decision could tarnish our reputation and cost us investment opportunities over and above the hundreds of millions of dollars local shareholders could have contributed to a sluggish economy.