Maritime NZ and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission are investigating the Aratere incident – putting the future of the Cook Strait connection under spotlight.
The Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground on Friday night - after more than 24 hours it was successfully re-floated on Saturday night.
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour told Mike Hosking “It feels like we’re a nation in decline - the question is are we going to tweak it, or change it?”
Semyour said you’ve got to ask whether private enterprise should be contracted or take it over completely.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The government didn't have enough on its hand with the
economic plight that we're currently grinding our way through. Then
a whole bunch of stuff fell over or fell apart
in the last week, pylons to planes, to ferries. Interestingly,
the government ran for the hills a bit over this one.
Transport Minister sime and Brand didn't want to talk, State
owned enterprises Minister Paul Goldsmith didn't want to talk. Minister
of Finance Nicola Willison didn't want to talk. Fortunately, Associate
Finance Minister David Seymour does and he's with us. Good morning,
(00:22):
good Anyway, this ferry business over the weekend, did you
have a sinking feeling by the time the power pylon
fell over and the plane didn't take off and the
ferry hit the wall, that there's something a bit wrong
with this country.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah. It feels like we're a nation and decline and
the question is are we going to tweak it or
are we going to change it. I've long taken the
view that if we keep doing what we've done, then
we're going to get the same results. And instead of saying, well,
you know, we'll have a different person in charge of
Kiwi Rail, we'll have maybe some different theories purchased by
(00:57):
Kiwi Rail. The real question is one private business can
run successfully for twenty years and no tax payer money
and a government business constantly requires bailouts. And maybe that's
telling us something about our future.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Okay, so the chairman's already gone to the whole board
need to go? Does the whole thing need to be
refreshed and or does the ferry service need to be
run by someone completely different?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Well, you can keep changing the debt chairs, but unfortunately
you've got to ask the question should private enterprise that's
been successful be either contracted the service or just take
it over completely instead of trying to make something that
can never work work against all odds.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
So if you go private, do you have support within
the government to get that across the line or is
that going to be political?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Well, our government's a coalition, but I mean act as
the campaigned on real change and my viewers that we
should be that confront quite how bad things are, how
whether it's the pile on the plane or the ship
and saying look, actually we need to go back to
first principles and ask is this something that the government
(02:11):
should do? And in some of those three answers that
the answer cases the answer will still be yes, and
others say, actually, maybe the government doesn't need to be
doing this.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Okay, well, so your plane obviously it's an air force plane.
You need a military I get that, and there's money
needed for something like that. I'm assuming that's what's happened.
This has become so embarrassing that you guys are actually
going to act and spend some money and solve some problems.
Is that fair or not?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Well, I think it's fair to speculate that. I mean,
there hasn't been any discussion about the plane since the
latest breakup, But I just make the point that seventy
million every two years to maintain it. We actually uncovered
that in opposition. I don't know what it costs lease one,
as most airlines around the world do, but that's got
(02:56):
to be an option, or maybe, given it's an air force,
they could own one, and that's got to be cheaper
than fixing up the current ones before you allow for
the difference in performance, which it is becoming nationally embarrassed,
internationally embarrassing.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
All right, well, we've got you farm make its farming
coming today.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Look, there's going to be discussion today and that may
well lead to an announcement. Obviously, you know, I've got
to be respectful of my cabinet colleagues and not get
ahead of them, which I've tried to do throughout this discussion.
But what I think is important is that we bring
it back to the patients, make sure that we preserve
(03:35):
the independence of the farm make model, and ensure we
keep confidence in the political system so that if a
party makes a promise, especially such a critical promise as this,
then the government's able to deliver on The national parties
made that promise of the government is working hard to
deliver on within some of the constraints we face.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Appreciate it. David Seymore, Associatement of for fun Age. For
more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to News
Talks at b from six am weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
The government didn't have enough on its hand with the
economic plight that we're currently grinding our way through. Then
a whole bunch of stuff fell over or fell apart
in the last week, pylons to planes, to ferries. Interestingly,
the government ran for the hills a bit over this one.
Transport Minister sime and Brand didn't want to talk, State
owned enterprises Minister Paul Goldsmith didn't want to talk. Minister
of Finance Nicola Willison didn't want to talk. Fortunately, Associate
Finance Minister David Seymour does and he's with us. Good morning,
(00:22):
good Anyway, this ferry business over the weekend, did you
have a sinking feeling by the time the power pylon
fell over and the plane didn't take off and the
ferry hit the wall, that there's something a bit wrong
with this country.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah. It feels like we're a nation and decline and
the question is are we going to tweak it or
are we going to change it. I've long taken the
view that if we keep doing what we've done, then
we're going to get the same results. And instead of saying, well,
you know, we'll have a different person in charge of
Kiwi Rail, we'll have maybe some different theories purchased by
(00:57):
Kiwi Rail. The real question is one private business can
run successfully for twenty years and no tax payer money
and a government business constantly requires bailouts. And maybe that's
telling us something about our future.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Okay, so the chairman's already gone to the whole board
need to go? Does the whole thing need to be
refreshed and or does the ferry service need to be
run by someone completely different?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Well, you can keep changing the debt chairs, but unfortunately
you've got to ask the question should private enterprise that's
been successful be either contracted the service or just take
it over completely instead of trying to make something that
can never work work against all odds.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
So if you go private, do you have support within
the government to get that across the line or is
that going to be political?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Well, our government's a coalition, but I mean act as
the campaigned on real change and my viewers that we
should be that confront quite how bad things are, how
whether it's the pile on the plane or the ship
and saying look, actually we need to go back to
first principles and ask is this something that the government
(02:11):
should do? And in some of those three answers that
the answer cases the answer will still be yes, and
others say, actually, maybe the government doesn't need to be
doing this.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Okay, well, so your plane obviously it's an air force plane.
You need a military I get that, and there's money
needed for something like that. I'm assuming that's what's happened.
This has become so embarrassing that you guys are actually
going to act and spend some money and solve some problems.
Is that fair or not?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Well, I think it's fair to speculate that. I mean,
there hasn't been any discussion about the plane since the
latest breakup, But I just make the point that seventy
million every two years to maintain it. We actually uncovered
that in opposition. I don't know what it costs lease one,
as most airlines around the world do, but that's got
(02:56):
to be an option, or maybe, given it's an air force,
they could own one, and that's got to be cheaper
than fixing up the current ones before you allow for
the difference in performance, which it is becoming nationally embarrassed,
internationally embarrassing.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
All right, well, we've got you farm make its farming
coming today.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Look, there's going to be discussion today and that may
well lead to an announcement. Obviously, you know, I've got
to be respectful of my cabinet colleagues and not get
ahead of them, which I've tried to do throughout this discussion.
But what I think is important is that we bring
it back to the patients, make sure that we preserve
(03:35):
the independence of the farm make model, and ensure we
keep confidence in the political system so that if a
party makes a promise, especially such a critical promise as this,
then the government's able to deliver on The national parties
made that promise of the government is working hard to
deliver on within some of the constraints we face.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Appreciate it. David Seymore, Associatement of for fun Age. For
more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to News
Talks at b from six am weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
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