3140 NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE No. 120

NEW ZEALAND LTD

Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements
For The Year Ended 31 March 2001

Statement of Accounting Policies Specific to MainPower’s Lines Business Activities

Reporting Entity

MainPower New Zealand Limited is a company registered under the Companies Act 1993.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with, and for the purposes of, complying with the requirements of the Electricity (Information Disclosure) Regulations 1999 and the Electricity (Information Disclosure) Amendment Regulations 2000.

MainPower New Zealand Limited is a reporting entity for the purposes of the Financial Reporting Act 1993.

Special Purpose Financial Statements

These financial statements have been prepared for the purpose of complying with the requirements of the Electricity (Information Disclosure) Regulations 1999 and amendments to those Regulations.

Allocations of the costs, revenues, assets and liabilities of the Company have been made in accordance with the mandatory avoidable cost allocation methodology as required by the Regulations.

This approach defines the line business as the company’s core business, and makes an assessment of the costs, revenues, assets and liabilities that would be avoided by the line business if all non-core businesses were to cease operation. The costs, revenues, assets and liabilities that would be avoided are allocated to those non-core businesses. Costs, revenues, assets and liabilities that would not be avoided are allocated to the line business.

Measurement Base

The accounting principles recognised as appropriate for the measurement and reporting of financial performance and financial position on an historical cost basis, modified by the revaluation of certain fixed assets, have been followed.

Accounting Policies

The following specific accounting policies which materially affect the measurement of financial performance and the financial position have been applied:

1.1 Fixed Assets and Depreciation

All fixed assets are initially recorded at cost. Distribution assets are subsequently revalued on an Optimised Deprival Valuation (ODV) basis and are revalued at least once every three years.

Distribution assets were revalued by PricewaterhouseCoopers on an Optimised Deprival Valuation (ODV) basis as at 31 March 2001.

Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets at rates that will allocate the assets’ cost or valuation, to their residual values, over their estimated useful lives. All other assets are depreciated on a diminishing value basis.

Depreciation rates for major classes of assets used in the preparation of the financial statements are based on periods not exceeding:

Distribution System             -    70 years
Motor Vehicles                 -     5 years
Plant and Equipment            -    14 years
Office Furniture and Equipment -    10 years

The electricity distribution system economic lives have been set consistent with the Ministry of Economic Development’s revised ODV Handbook. The economic lives range from 15 – 70 years for the different components of the distribution system.

Gains and losses on disposal of fixed assets are taken into account in determining the operating result for the year.

1.2 Income Tax

The income tax expense charged to the Statement of Financial Performance includes the current year’s provision after allowing for permanent differences. Deferred taxation is determined on a partial basis using the liability