Andrew Dickens: Is the new ferry deal really better in the long run?

Winston’s great rail solution is now revealed: it’s just like KiwiRail’s iReX but cheaper.  

The boats are still big and they’re rail enabled but the portside infrastructure is more reasonable.  

And that’s always been the thing. The original boats were a good deal, but the kicker came portside.  

KiwiRail was under the belief that the project had to be future proofed.  

This was something that had to last 50 years - a type of thinking that New Zealand hasn’t done often.  

So, the Ferrari was not the boat, it was the ports. 

Now Winston says Picton needs a big revamp. But the earthquake prone Wellington port just needs a revamp. 

In an ideal world this is not ideal. But it is, as Winston says, pragmatic. 

I know people involved with the original iReX deal on the Government side.  

And when this story first broke, they told me that KiwiRail shouldn’t come to the Government expecting an open cheque book.  

And he was right. The original iReX deal was a good deal, and the one that we should aspire to. 

But as the Government keeps telling us, now is not the right time for aspirational long-term planning.  

But if not now, when will we ever do anything right first time?

And while this deal looks like a saving short term, will we end out paying more long term?

The upshot is that we have ferries coming and they’re less likely to sink than the ones we already have. That’s about it - we’re right back to where we were 30 years ago.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Winston's great rail solution is now revealed, well some of
it anyway. It seems just like Kiwi Rail's I Rex
but cheaper. The boats are still big, bigger than we've
got right now, but smaller than the ones that were
ordered before. They are rail enabled, but the port side
infrastructure in the work there is a lot more reasonable

(00:21):
and that's always been the thing. The original boats were
actually a good deal, but the kicker always came port side.
Kiwi Rail was under the belief, in fact, this is
what they were told back in the day by the government,
including Winston Peters, that this project had to be future proofed.
This had to be a fifty to one hundred year thing.
This was something that had to last, which is a

(00:42):
type of thinking that New Zealand doesn't too often. So
the ferrari in this whole deal was not the boats,
it was the ports. Now, Winston says, Picton needs a
big revent that's going to cost but the earthquake pro
and Wellington Port just needs a touch up. Thought by
the way, that the new fairies will have less capacity

(01:04):
in an ideal world. All of this is not ideal,
but it is, As Winston says, pragmatic. Now. I know
people involved with the original Irex deal on the on
the government side, and when this first happened, I talked
to them and they said that Kiwi Raw should not
come to their government expecting an open checkbook. They were
supporters of rail and all that sort of thing, but
you just can't come thinking you can just fleece billions

(01:28):
out of the government. Decide that, and he was right.
The original Irex deal had some good parts to it,
and it is the one that we should have aspired to.
But as the government keeps telling us, now is not
the right time for aspirational long term planning. We just
can't afford it. But if not now, when will we
do anything right first time? So this deal looks like

(01:49):
a saving short term, but the question will always be
for another generation will we end up paying more? Long term?
The upshot is that we do have fairies coming by
twenty twenty nine, and that's when our current feryes have
ended their lives, so the timing is tight. The new
fairies are far less likely to think than the ones
we already have. And you know that's about it. In
this story, We're right back to where we were thirty

(02:11):
years ago. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,
listen live to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio