Winston Peters: Rail Minister chats latest details on new ferries

Rail Minister Winston Peters revealed the names of the two new ferries headed for New Zealand in 2029.

The new ferry names are Kupe, after the first Polynesian navigator to discover New Zealand, and Cook, after Captain James Cook, who led an expedition to New Zealand with the Endeavour in the 18th century.

Peters confirmed that KiwiRail would continue to own the Interislander ferries once they arrive, the Government had refused to commit to full KiwiRail ownership.

He told Heather du Plessis-Allan, "we're just gonna get on and do the job, but most people will be delightfully happy with it."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Winston Peters has announced new details of the new Fairies deal.
They're going to be run by Kiwi Rail. Kiwi Rail
will pay fees to the ports and faery holdings and
they will be called Kooper and Cook and Winston Peters
is obviously the rail Minister High Winston. You had any
complaints about the names yet?

Speaker 2 (00:15):
No, we haven't at this point in time. But mindy,
I'll be on the road and I'm about to come
to the Waterview tunnel. But never mind, we'll see how
we go.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
I imagine that the biggest complaint's going to come from
debbing nado we Packer, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Well, I don't know. The fact is you've got those
very unreasonable people have got a thousand reasons to object
to everything, and they're not progressive. And I just made
that point that in the day will want to cut loose,
but we forecast that we're not going to be surprised
by that. We're just going to get on and do
the job. But most people will be delightfully happy with it.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Now, why are you getting key We Rail to pay
fees to the ports and faery holdings.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Well to keep any of the system monitors to make
sure that the canancy operation and the fiscals that we
worked on at the very beginning work out at the end.
So they've got to pay whether making the contribution, it's
over a long period of time, it'll last. In this
case are two generations, so it just made sense to
us to do it that way.

Speaker 1 (01:15):
Okay, Fairy Holdens continues to own the Fairies, does it?

Speaker 2 (01:19):
It does? Yes? Okay.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
How do the ports feel about the fees?

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Well, the ports are very happy, and they were the
other day and the media had to all every chance
to ask both to Winnington and Mile Report what they thought,
but they told me they were delighted with things.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
What is it going to do to Kiwi Rails Books though.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Well, the great thing about t Rails Books, as I
announced the day here, I was going to make a
profit at the end of June. It's about to be
announced and I'll tell you what it's going to be
more than I thought it was. So looks there's the
good news, Winston Jorans are things are preferably speaking and
not posting back on the track.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Listen. You will have heard the news of Bill Bircher's passing.
I'd imagine.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Oh yes, John bask says mess this morning.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Yeah, oh so you already knew this morning. Have you
had much contact with him in recent years?

Speaker 2 (02:06):
No, I haven't, as things turn out, No.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
Not a relationship that has lasted beyond the time that
you guys worked together.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
No. Why well, I know a guy that was expelled
from the National Party, if you haven't forgotten. And because
I was criticized in the Higloin policies of the National Party,
the neoliberalism and Ruth ANDYX and I got burnt out
of the party for it. But they came round to
their census after about twenty years when Bill burd went
not Bill Bushard but ill English. Jim Boulders said that

(02:38):
it was a mistake neo liberals was a mistake out
of twentyears. You said that, so beg the question why
was I burned out?

Speaker 1 (02:45):
All right? Winston, thanks very much, appreciate it. Winston Peter's
rail Minister. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen
live to news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays,
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