Kerre Woodham: We're going to have to bite the bullet and get the 757's replaced

You do not have to go back very far to find a news story about a New Zealand Prime Minister having his or her trip disrupted by a shonky 757.

The Prime Minister's trip to Japan, with an accompanying trade delegation, was disrupted over the weekend after the Air Force 757 broke down, again. And it was this time last year, to within a week, that the plane ferrying Chris Hipkins to China set off on its flight with a backup plane flying in reserve, in case the first one broke down.

Remember that? ACT leader David Seymour said, at the time, the extra emissions were the equivalent of driving a Ford Ranger the distance of a trip to the moon three times. I don't know if that's accurate, might have been hyperbole, but knowing David Seymour, he would have crunched the numbers and done the sums.

But it was literally this time last year that Chris Hipkins set off to China with a backup plane. Which was needed. Former prime ministers Dame Jacinda Ardern, Sir John Key - they've also become stuck when they were flying around the world after 757’s and the Hercules aircraft broke down.

In 2022, Ardern was left stranded in Antarctica overnight after the Herc broke down and she managed to hitchhike home on an Italian plane from McMurdo Sound travelling to Christchurch.

A 757 broke down on Ardern’s official visit to the US in June 2023, while she also took a commercial flight home from Melbourne in 2019 after another engineering issue. The then Defence Minister Peeni Henare and a 30 strong delegation were stuck in the Solomons in August 2022. In 2019, former Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters needed that second RNZAF plane to pick him up after breaking down in Vanuatu.

And a trade mission to India, headed by Key in 2016, was cut short after a 757 was grounded in Townsville, forcing the Prime Minister and his entourage to stay the night in far North Queensland while they waited for the AA or the aviation equivalent of the AA. “We've broken down. We're stuck on the side of the road. Can you come and get us? Sure. Give us 24. We'll be there.” I mean, seriously.

The miracle is that anybody gets into the bloody things. Would you? I mean, bless the RNZAF engineers for getting the dear old girls up off the ground and into the air again. But holy heck, it's all bound together with gaffer tape and rubber bands and #8 wire and the like.

When Chris Luxon was opposition leader, he criticised Chris Hipkins' use of a backup plane on environmental grounds - and also said it speaks to concerns about the reliability of those aircraft breaking down as we've seen in past times. 

Well he might be singing another song entirely after this. And this was after saying to Mike only last Tuesday: ‘ Oh, no, I've got every confidence, every confidence.’ Wrong.

So back in 2023, when we were talking about Hipkins' trip to China and taking two planes just in case, Chris Hipkins office came back to us last year and said using RNZAF aircraft is cheaper than a commercial charter and has other benefits such as security assurance, and the ability to travel point to point to reduce time away from home and additional costs such as hotels which would be required if there were stopovers.

Well, I think we can pretty much rule out the cost factor, can't we? Using an RNZAF charter does not appear to be cheaper - and there have been numerous instances where it hasn't been cheaper, where they've needed either two planes to fly or they've needed to get in commercial charters or you've had to say to your Italian mates - 'can I please get a lift back to New Zealand?'

I mean, how embarrassing. So I think we can rule out the cost factor. Let's just take a chartered aircraft that can get from point A to point B. I'm just stunned anyone gets on them.

The other point they made was that the 757s are around 30 years old and nearing the end of their economic lives and due for replacement between 2028 and 203

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the carry Wooden Morning's podcast from news
Talk said b.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
You do not have to go back very far to
find a news story about a New Zealand Prime minister
having his or her trip disrupted by a Shonky seven seven.
The Prime Minister's trip to Japan with an accompanying trade
delegation was disrupted over the weekend after the Air Force

(00:32):
seven five seven broke down again. And it was this
time last year to within a week that the plane
ferrying Chris Hopkins to China went set off on its
flight with a backup plane flying in reserve, Okays the

(00:54):
first one broke down. Remember that actual leader David Seymour
said at the time the extra emissions were the equivalent
of driving a forward range in the distance of a
trip to the Moon three time times. I don't know
if that's that good. Might have been hyperbole, but knowing
David Seymour, he would have crunched the numbers and done
the sums. But it was like literally this time last

(01:15):
year that Chris Hopkins set off to China with a
backup plane which was needed. Former Prime Minister's Dame Jacinda A.
Durn Sir John Key they've also become stuck when they
were flying around the world. After seven five sevens and
the Hercules aircraft broke down in twenty two remember this one.

(01:38):
Durn was left stranded in Antarctica overnight after the HRK
broke down, and she managed to hitch hike home on
an Italian plane from McMurdo Sound traveling to christ Church.
A seven five seven broke down on Adurn's official visit
to the US in June twenty three, while she also

(01:59):
took a commercial flight home from Melbourne. In twenty nineteen
after another engineering issue, the then Defense Minister Penny Henare
and a thirty strong delegation was stuck in the Solomons
in August twenty two and twenty nineteen. Former Deputy Prime
Minister Winston Peters needed that second RNZAF plane to pick

(02:20):
him up after breaking down in Vanuatu, and a trade
mission to Windy Are headed Baky in twenty sixteen was
cut short after A seven five seven was grounded in Townsville,
forcing the Prime Minister and his entourage to stay the
night in far North Queensland while they waited for the
AA or the aviation equivalent of the AA we've broken down.

(02:41):
We're stuck on the side of the road. Can you
come and get us? Sure, give us twenty four we'll
be there. I mean seriously that the miracle is that
anybody gets into the bloody things? Would you as it
was held. I mean, bless the RNZAF engineers forgetting the
dear old girls up off the ground and into the

(03:01):
air again. But holy hecker, it's all bound together with
gaffer tape and rubber bands and number eight wire and
the like. When Chris Lucksen was opposition leader, he criticized
Chris Hipkins's use of a backup plane on environmental grounds

(03:22):
and also said it speaks to concerns about the reliability
of those aircraft breaking down as we've seen in past times.
We shouldn't be taking two aircraft to an event like that.
Well might be singing another song entirely after this. And
this was after saying to Mike it was only last Tuesday.
He said to Mike, oh, oh, I've got every confidence,

(03:44):
every confidence wrong. So back in twenty three when we
were talking about hipkins trip to China and taking two
planes just in case, I mean, you know, this climate
emergency is our nuclear issue, and so you take two
planes on a trip. Chris Hipkin's office came back to

(04:09):
us last year and said using RNZAF aircraft is cheaper
than a commercial charter and has other benefits such as
security assurance and the ability to travel point to point
to reduce time away from home, and additional costs such
as hotels which would be required if there were stopovers. Well,
I think we can pretty much rule out the cost factor,

(04:35):
can't we. Using an RNZAF charter does not appear to
be cheaper, and I mean not in this instance. And
there have been numerous instances where it hasn't been cheaper
where they've needed either two planes to fly, or they've
needed to get in commercial charters, or you've had to
say to your Italian mates, yeah, can I please get

(04:57):
a lift back to it to New Zealand with I mean,
how embarrassing gives a lift? Mate? I mean a mate
will alas help out? I made, of course they will.
But you don't want to be the one that's bludging,
do you? So I think we can rule out the
cost factor. Let's just take a charted aircraft that can

(05:18):
get from point A to point B. I'm just stunned.
Anyone gets on them. The other point they made was
that the seven five sevens are around thirty years old,
nearing the end of their economic lives, and due for
replacement between twenty eight and twenty thirty. Bring it forward.
They've got to be replaced anyway. I get that no

(05:39):
government wants to be the one that signs the check
for a new aircraft. But if it's an air Force
aircraft that's going to be used for humanitarian work, if
it's going to be used to police our economic zone,
if it's going to be ferrying trade delegations, do you
really have a problem with us moving forward the purchase

(06:00):
date of an aircraft that we're going to have to
buy anyway. It's not like it's going to be the
air Force one kitted out only for the president with
whale scrotum skin barstools and like you know, Aristotle o'nasa's
had on his yacht. I mean, we're not talking plush,

(06:21):
kind of penthous for daddy kind of fit out, are
we We're you know, we're talking about a utilitarian aircraft
that comes under the auspices of the RNZAF that the
Prime Minister can then get into with a Trade delegation
and safely go from point A to point B. I

(06:43):
don't think that's unreasonable. They're due to be replaced in
twenty eight. Between twenty eight and thirty, it's twenty twenty four.
Bring it forward a bit because it is not cost
effective flying in a lemon. It's unsafe flying in a lemon.

(07:07):
You don't want to be bludging on your mates when
you stuck in Antarctica or Australia. These trips are important. God,
no wonder no, no, I'm Ahota stayed home. You know,
looking at this this aircraft, would you really want to
park your buns on that and buckle up? Not really, No,

(07:28):
just bite the bullet and we're just going to have
to do it. It's a necessary expense.

Speaker 1 (07:32):
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