Chris Mackenzie: Ferry Holdings Chair on the plan to deliver new interislander ferries and infrastructure by 2029

The company overseeing the new infrastructure and ferries for Cook Strait is confident it can deliver by 2029. 

Winston Peters has announced agreements to build and modernise ports in Wellington and Picton for the arrival of new Interislander ferries. 

Ferry Holdings Chair Chris Mackenzie says there will be robust discussions between KiwiRail, Ferry Holdings, and ports on delivering the project. 

He's feeling positive, despite New Zealand's track record with infrastructure. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
A little bit of movement around our new fairies. Also
to report on this morning, Government and port operators have
agreed on the core infrastructure and the equipment needed now
Pickton will have new warves, new link spans. Wellington will
modify the existing infrastructure the last thirty years. Chris McKenzie
is the chair of the Ferry Holdings Limited and as
well as Chris, morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Is this all looking good?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
It's looking positive at this point in time. Yes, there
will be some robust discussions going forward between the port's
key rail and Ferry Holdings Limited, but this is a
reasonable sized infrastructure project, so it's to be expected.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Is there a big gap between what you want and
what you're getting?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
No, No, What we are doing is the Cabinets mandated
us to get two fairies, two ports with appropriate nesting
structures and a rail operator who's running ferries in twenty
twenty nine. All of that comes together and hopefully it
will be an improvement on what we have at the moment.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
And when you say hopefully, is that like fingers crossed?
Because from New zealand Inks point of view, how compromised
is this whole thing?

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Do you think it isn't compromised, and it's not We're
not worried about it. What we have to just think
about is it's an infrastructure project and you know New
Zealand's reputation on infrastructure projects deliveries. We will have everything
put in place. The signing that we have done with

(01:28):
the ports and q Rail over the last couple of
days has put us on a path to be successfully completed.
But there are always things that come up in infrastructure.
But we are Touchwood confident that we will deliver in
twenty twenty nine to two ferries, two ports and a
rail company that cannot break the fairies.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
And argue with that, Chris go well, well, I appreciate
it very much. Chris McKenzie chier a Ferry Holdings. If
you weren't watching the news last night, the television news,
Peters was impicked. In my god, what a it was.
Everything you love about the Marlborough sounds just absolutely glorious.
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(02:13):
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