PM has stuffed up asset sales - Labour

Labour says the Prime Minister has stuffed up the asset sales process.

The partial sale of Mighty River Power may be delayed once again, with legal action being taken against it by the Maori Council.

John Key insists it'll still go on sale in March, but he'd originally hoped it'd be on the block about now.

Labour's Clayton Cosgrove says the Government is lurching from one disaster to another.

"What we're down to now is this government trying to protect and maintain the Prime Minister's pride. This isn't even ideological anymore, this is about bludgeoning ahead, selling assets because they said they'd do it in an election."

He says it's been a shambles from the start.

Mr Cosgrove says every day the process is delayed, increases the possibility of a fire sale.

Kensington Swan senior associate Baden Vertongen specialises in Treaty of Waitangi settlement negotiations and post-settlement issues for Maori.

He doubts the delay has caught the Government by surprise.

"It's probably hard to tell at this stage, until we see the proceedings pan out, but I would've thought the Crown would have been expecting this for some time and would have been planning for it."

Photo: Nga Awa Purua Geothermal Station (supplied)