A bill which sought to put greater protections against the sale of strategic state assets has been narrowly voted down in Parliament.
The State-Owned Enterprises and Crown Entities (Protecting New Zealand's Strategic Assets) Amendment Bill, in the name of the Labour MP Clayton Cosgrove, failed by 61 votes to 60, with National, ACT and United Future voting against it.
Mr Cosgrove told Parliament the bill is about protecting strategic assets that the Government has left.
"That is New Zealand Post, Kiwibank, KiwiRail, Radio New Zealand and others for future generations.
"Any government under this piece of legislation trying to sell these assets will need a seventy-five percent majority in Parliament or win a referendum. That is a fair policy."
