Chris Mackenzie: Ferry Holdings Ltd Chair on the Govt choosing the preferred interisland ferry suppliers

Smooth sailing so far for Ferry Holdings, as a preferred supplier of two new Cook Strait vessels. 

Rail Minister Winston Peters has announced a fixed price has been agreed for two 200-metre-long ferries with road and rail decks, and room for 1500 passengers each. 

Ferry Holdings Limited Chair Chris Mackenzie says final negotiations have started - and contracts will be signed by the end of the year. 

He told Mike Hosking a letter of intent was signed with the shipyard and now technical discussions have begun before contracts can be signed. 

The name of the shipyard will be released when the contracts are signed. 

Mackenzie told Hosking 60 shipyards were in the mix to begin with, and it had shipyards in four countries, that's now come down to one. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Another step closer to our two new Inter Island Ferries.

(00:02):
Shipyard's been selected. We've got a price, I think at
a time frame deal. The ink needs to be put
on some paperwork somewhere. Chris McKenzie's the chair of Ferry
Holdings and is with us, Chris morning, Good morning. As
a process smooth sailing, no pun intended or not, it.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Has been smooth sailing, but it has been a fairly
concentrated process because of a timeline of twenty twenty nine.
We've had to push the staff and the shipyards quite hard,
but it has all gone very well up to this point.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
In going to the world with a deal like this,
are there plenty of people who are keen or are
we small beer?

Speaker 2 (00:42):
No? We started off with over sixty yards, then came
down to fifteen to twelve and then the final six.
And the reason for the final six was they were
the yards that gave us a very good guarantee that
they could have the two ships by twenty twenty nine.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
So truly are we at on timeframe and price? Is
that locked in? Or are we going down to micro
negotiating Now?

Speaker 2 (01:07):
We have signed a letter I signed a letter of
intent on Monday. We've had a response from the shipyard.
We now go into technical negotiations, even down to things
like where the toilets are located and so forth, and
those are to be completed and a contract will be
signed in November or December, which meets the deadline that

(01:29):
we had for the end of twenty twenty five.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Right. Compare it to a car. I don't know if
you know anything about cars. What have we bought? We
bought a Toyota Corolla. Have we bought a nine to
eleven Porsche? What have we bought?

Speaker 2 (01:40):
I would say that we brought an Obacca. We've brought
a good solid.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
Holden Holden what Camara, Holden Commodore, Co Holden Commodore. There
you go. I want to ask you what size engine
or manual or automatic? But okay, we like it. So
you're happy with where we're at.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
I am very happy with where we're at. I'm happy
with the discussion that we've had with the shipyards. You know,
we've had shipyards in four different countries. We've come down
to one and that will be announced at the time
that we signed the contract.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
Appreciate your time very much, Chris. Chris McKenzie who is
the tier of ferry holdings. Grig Murphy will have fallen
off this chaer, eating this breakfast. They bought a holding.
They bought a hold in Commodore. For more from The
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