John MacDonald: Lessons for the future from the ferry deal - Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

For me, one of the best things to come out of yesterday’s announcement about the Cook Strait ferries has nothing to do with the ferries themselves. 

There’s still a bit of smoke and mirrors about the numbers and what it’s going to end up costing.  

Because what it still comes down to is that the Government poured $671 million down the drain when the Finance Minister pulled the plug on funding for the old ferry project. Which some —Nicola Willis included— thought was too Flash Harry with too many bells and whistles. 

They were, generally, the bells and whistles for the portside infrastructure. That’s where the concerns about the cost blow-outs came from. And that’s the side of it that could still blow out. Nevertheless, Rail Minister Winston Peters says it’s still a better deal. Even though it’s going to mean we get smaller ships, lower spec portside facilities, years later than planned. 

Nevertheless, I really like what he’s saying about the Government getting the experts in to provide advice and guidance from the get-go. And I want to see a lot more of this from the current government and future governments.  

Because one thing that’s always got me about politicians is how they can end up in government and find themselves in Cabinet and be put in charge of things they have absolutely no clue about.  

And politicians being politicians, full of ego and bluster, they plod along faking it and hoping they make it – without asking people who actually know stuff for help.  

We saw this with the last government when Jacinda Ardern invited senior business leaders to give their input into the COVID response planning, but they were left feeling ignored. I remember people like former Air NZ boss Rob Fyfe talking about it and how frustrating it was. 

But if this ferry project is back on track because the Government has actually asked people who know what they’re on about for advice and guidance and has actually listened, then that has to be a good thing.   

And I think politicians need to get out of the way more often and let experts have more of a say on big infrastructure projects, if it means things being done more efficiently and without the kind of cost blowouts that now seem to be par for the course.  

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