The announcement by Minister for Rail, Winston Peters, that the new Cook Strait ferries will both have railway capacity is a step in the right direction. As a maritime nation split between two large islands and a host of smaller ones, we cannot afford to have no railway connection between the North and South Islands.
The announcement, which comes nearly a year after the ferry Aratere grounded in the Marlborough Sounds, helps to settle a matter that has caused significant economic uncertainty. It was certainty that was largely avoidable, had high ranking diplomats and the New Zealand Government thought to allow more time to inform the Government of South Korea, whose company H.M.D. had the contract to build the ships.
When Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis failed to give enough time for Ambassador Dawn Bennet to make meaningful contact with the South Koreans, before her announcement that she was cancelling the deal, many New Zealanders thought it would harm relations with one of our best trading partners. Two text messages just hours before the scheduled announcement, which Director General Seo Min-jung, most likely would not have had time to react to, tell a story of poor preparation and a lack of regard for South Korea.
The announcement, which Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade warned ran the risk of harming N.Z.-South Korean relationships, was made a mere 50 minutes after the first text. Hardly anyone in the Government would have had any time to react, never mind craft a response to it. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon deliberately avoided putting himself in a position where he would be questioned by South Korean officials or media about the matter when he visited in September 2024.
Fast forward to 2025. Winston Peters is Minister of Rail. As the one current Minister of the Crown likely to support investment in the railways and ferries, this is a vital stroke. New Zealand First has long advocated for significant investment in the railway network, and has long understood the absolute criticality of the Cook Strait ferries acting as the maritime link in State Highway 1.
Although this is a good step forward, we are only 16 months into a Government consisting of the most right-wing edition of the National Party ever. This party and its A.C.T. Party ally are not known for their support of proper investment in the railways, which is quite concerning as Mr Peters tenure as Deputy Prime Minister comes to an end next month, and David Seymour, Leader of the hard right A.C.T. Party will take over. Will Mr Peters be allowed to hang onto his railway portfolio?
Whilst I support the two ferries both being railway capable, I am concerned that the “Corolla Ferries”, might actually be more like “Hilux Ferries” – a reference to the popular Toyota hatchback and ute models widely available in New Zealand. Instead of comparatively small and nimble ferries, the Government might have chosen a rather large, long – though quite powerful – design that might have difficulty manoeuvring in the narrows of the Marlborough Sounds. And if this is the case, perhaps three RAV4 Ferries – acknowledging the “baby” of Toyota’s 4WD range – might have been a better choice. They would have more capacity than the model chosen, but retain a greater degree of manoeuvrability in tight situations.
There is another point which also needs to be considered. The ferry facilities in both Wellington and Picton are going to need a complete overhaul to take these larger ships, no matter what eventually gets delivered. This has been budgeted for in the costings, say the Government. Given the timing of the ferries expected delivery in 2029, New Zealanders will be hoping that these facilities are open and operational by the time the new boats arrive because as a maritime nation, we simply cannot afford a lengthy disruption of the Cook Strait crossing.
In addition to the rail freight capacity, the ferries handle hundreds of thousands of travellers, both locals and international visitors on work and holiday. They are moving advertisements for the Marlborough Sounds and Wellington as well as the novelty of travelling on a train and ferry. Without the ferries, Marlborough and Picton in particular would very different places.
Leftist Kiwi Writes 