Carl Findlay: Maritime Union National Secretary on the Government's plan for new ferry contracts after iRex cancellation

There's hopes new Cook Strait ferries will be rail-enabled.

Minister for Rail Winston Peters is promising more details by the month's end.

He's confirmed Hyundai - the company whose ship and infrastructure deal was dumped by the Government - is in the running for a new contract.

The break fee on the original canned deal is $300 million.

Maritime Union national secretary Carl Findlay says the cancellation was silly.

He explained getting world-class builders to make the ships as close to the original plan would be ideal.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Three hundred million dollars. That's how much the government's set
aside for the cook straight fairy break fee. Yonda will
get the money if we exit the contract. They will
get the money, regardless of weather they win the bid
to build the new ships. Carl Finlay is the Maritime
Union national secretary. He's with me now, Hi, Carl, how
are you doing? Jesez has a lot of money.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
That's a lot a lot of money, mate, and it's terrible.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
What if they can do it? I mean, Winston's been
over there in Korea, hope hopefully doing us some sort
of good deal. But what if they can get that down?
What if we can get the overall cost much lower
than the projected four billion?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Well, I'd say they're definitely be the goal and have
these world class builders, not the original plan similar to
the original planel will be ideal.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Do you think that if we because the ideally we
would use the two slots we had available for these
ships that were being built. We would use those two
slots to have you know, new it spelt a little
bit smaller, a little bit cheaper. Would that work? Do
you think?

Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah? They definitely have to be rather noble and that
would work. I'm not sure if those slots are still open.
I guess Winston's going to hopefully lee some magic. That
it is terrible. I mean, the union has been saying
for a while that that this cost is going to
blow right out, and now it's coming to fruition, isn't it.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
What are some of the costs that we're not hearing about.
You know, we're hearing about the three hundred million dollar
break feed, But some of the costs that we're not
hearing about from actually canceling that.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Deal, well, we have heard about them. I mean, it
was a reporter a while ago, and we've been saying
for a while it's Christopher billion dollars that has been
soaked up on this mistach that Nichola Willison's mate. I
mean that that would have, you know, obviously paid for
a lot of the needing hospital and a lot of
inter treatments if she hadn't made that silly Paul. But

(01:55):
it's all it's all there in black and white made it.
It's very clear, it's been well documented to documenta Sorry.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
Yeah, how are you feeling? I mean, are you are
you a little bit optimistic? Knowing that Winston's in charge
he's gotten till March. Are you are you hopeful that
we can at least get something on the go and
have a ferry operating by twenty twenty seven.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, absolutely made. That has to be done. It's got
a you know, the country needs it. Well. I think
he's the guy. He gets he seems to get things done,
so very I'm very pleased that he's actually in there
and will accounts. It sounds look good. He's going to
get us, get us the best deal that he can

(02:36):
he can.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Let Cal thank you for that. Cal Finlay is the
Maritime Union National secretary. On the three hundred million dollars,
I should say that's not what we are paying or
what we have paid. That's what has been set aside.
This has come from Treasury documents. So we don't actually
know at this point what the cost, what the breakfee
might be, and indeed that may be up for negotiation,
and we don't have confirmation of that either, because you know,

(02:59):
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