The Government says the Meridian Energy share offer has been a success. Just 62,000 individual shareholders have invested but the Government will press ahead with its partial privatisation programme. Ministers announced on Wednesday night that investors will pay $1.50 a share for a slice of the power company. The Labour and Green parties say the Government got far fewer investors than the 250,000 it originally believed would buy shares. Meridian is the second state-owned company to be put up for partial sale. Before Air New Zealand or Genesis Power shares go up for sale, people will get to vote in a referendum on whether they support the sales.