Sharon Brett-Kelley

Ratings downgrades mean the country has to pay more to borrow money.

But our roads and water pipes are crying out to be fixed.

New schools and hospitals need to be built.

If we don't borrow more, where does the money come from?

Yep, asset sales are shaping up to be an election battle.

But hang on, haven't we been burnt before?

Former Labour Minister Phil Goff remembers that.

I'm Sharon Brett-Kelly.

Investment specialist Greg Smith tells us why we have to stop kicking the can down the road on asset sales.

We look at the no-goes and what's top of his list.

First, though, Janae Tibtrani is New Zealand Herald's Wellington business editor.

This is a very controversial topic.

As soon as you talk about asset sales, all kinds of people come out for and against very strongly.

But with the state of the economy as it is and the tax take looking, well, more dire than it was and our high levels of debt, is it time that people actually take asset sales more seriously as a way to dealing to all of this?

Kiwibank, why?

Why isn't it good for us all to say Kiwibank is ours?

Taking KiwiBank as an example, if there was private sector involvement,

What would that be?

Would that be an Australian bank?

Well, here's how Phil Goff argues it.