KiwiRail Holdings Limited (KiwiRail) is a limited liability company incorporated under the Companies Act 1993 and a state owned enterprise (SOE) under the State Owned Enterprises Act 1986. As an SOE, all of KiwiRail’s shares are held by Shareholding Ministers of the Crown. They are held in equal proportions by the Minister of Finance and the Minister for State Owned Enterprises.
The principal objective of every SOE is to operate as a successful business and to be as profitable and efficient as comparable businesses that are not owned by the Crown. SOEs are also required to be good employers and to exhibit a sense of social responsibility.