The details of Kiwirail's immediate reaction to the grounding of the Aratere have been revealed in correspondence released by Transport Minister Simeon Brown's office.
NZ Herald Wellington Issues reporter is across the details, and joined Nick Mills to reveal just how it went down.
She also shared the story of Te Papa's gigantic specimen collection that needs to find a new home, and her thoughts on Wellington Water chief executive Tonia Haskell's resignation.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks EDB, Taking the pulse of the city.
The Capital Letter on news Talks ed B.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Joining us now is New Zealand Heralds. Wellington's Issues reported
Georgina Campbell. Good morning, Georgina morning. We'll cut start by
calling you by your real name and then we'll go
to George. Interesting story about PAPA and their collections of
thousands of specimens. Tell us about that story.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Yeah, this is a really quirky story that just really
kind of sparked my interest. So to. Papa has this
national collection of more than eight hundred and sixty thousand specimens.
So this includes fish, reptiles, all sorts of weird and
wonderful things. They're mostly stored in jars of alcohol. But
(00:55):
the problem is such a Wellington story that the building
that they're currently stored in in Tory Street is earthquake prime.
Another one.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Maybe they want to go and protest with Wellington Girls College.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
So look, it's actually in breach of health and safety
regulations this collection because you've got all those jars of
alcohol in an earthquake prone building. Not a great sort
of set of circumstances. Now, there is a plan underway
for a new facility and this was announced under the
previous government, so they've actually already purchased some land in
(01:32):
Upper Heart to build it. But the money that the
government has kind of released for this project only really
covers the planning phase. So I asked, you know, the
Minister Paul Goldsmith, in his capacity as Minister for Arts,
Culture and Heritage, is the government actually committed to funding
(01:52):
this new facility the build of it? And he said, well,
look to PAPA needs to develop an implementation business case
and the government will consider this in due course and
any further funding decisions will be made as part of
the budget process.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
So gosh, that's stock standard stuff, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, And it wasn't you know. I explicitly asked him
are you committed to seeing this project through? And he
didn't really answer that question. So TIPAPA has given him
a briefing just outlining the significant risks if this new
building doesn't happen, and they say that, you know, they
could lose access to the collection and actually face having
(02:28):
to throw it out. So that's eight hundred and sixty
thousand specimens and it's quite important for like scientists and
just the community and future generations having all of that knowledge,
you know, as part of this collection.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Wow, that's amazing. At least those specimens would have died happy,
wouldn't they been put in alcohol? Sitting there and now we'll.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Keep an eye on it because yes, it's something quiet.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Oh yeah, yeah, I was making light of a very
serious story. And that's nearly a million specimen. You know,
that's a lot of stuff. Yeah, you're getting rid of.
You had an interesting story on the oar terry running aground.
What did we learn? What have we found out? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
So I did Information Act requests for all the correspondence
between Transport Minister Simeon Brown's office and Transport officials and
Kiwi Rail, and I'll just sort of take you through
the highlights. There's this email that was sent by a
Ministry of Transport official, sent after midnight, and the official
(03:25):
says apologies for the late email. Just after ten pm,
the Inter Island Airy Auditory ran aground, not far from Picton,
and I just loved that, the kind of politeness of
apologies for the late email. But this major thing has.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Actually happened two hours before. I think, why did he
take two hours to get that was what my first
initial response was.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
And on a Friday night, so you know, like Sime
and Brown had been in Northland like dealing with that
pylon and then he had to pivot to this. So look,
it's just interesting to see basically that the scramble of
how they responded it also revealed the backup plan if
they couldn't refloat the arditory. So we actually said, ideally
(04:08):
they would have used two larger Wellington tugs as part
of the refloating operation, but they weren't available until the
following morning. So they basically said, look, we've got a
backup plan to use those bigger tugs if we can't
refloash it on the Saturday night, which of course they
were able to do.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Right. Tanya haschol is the chief executive for was the
chief executive of Willington Water. You've had a lot to
do with stories on Willington Water as your issues reporting job.
She's gone. What's happened?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Yeah? And I think the interesting thing here is just
the abruptness of her departure. So we got a statement
saying last week, saying Thursday on Thursday saying that you
know her resignation or her leaving will be effective from
Friday the following, you know, than twenty four hours basically.
(05:03):
And I think it is worth noting as well that
this comes off the back of Wellington Water overlooking a
budget era that resulted in an additional last minute bill
for councils of fifty one million dollars. The report into
that was really scathing. You know, see, Wellington Water was
an immature organization, had inadequate systems and processes and a
(05:25):
dysfunctional culture. Now that culture thing stands out to me
because really that in terms of the culture of the organization,
the buck stops with the chief executive. So in a
way we might not be surprised that Tanya Haskell is
Well has.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Gone now and the abruptness of it.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yeah, and in the statement that was issued there was
no mention of any of that, but I think it's
a pretty clear link just given the proximity of the
timing of that report and her leaving that it was.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
You wouldn't have to I mean, I can. I know
that you're a reporter and you have to report on facts,
but I'm a talk back hoast and I can say
what I like and I think the really reality is
that there was a problem there. They did a deal
and she's gone. That's why neither of them, I mean,
no one's talking. Are they near the party? The chairperson's
not speaking and she's not speaking. So let's sort it out.
(06:17):
Let you go clean slate. Everyone shuts up when we
get on the life.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Yeah, both have declined to be interviewed, and I think, well,
you know, I suspect it was just untenable for her
to remain in that position, given the scathing nature of
that report.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
And I really hope above all hopes and it's not
for any other reason that we're all tied on money.
But I hope that's not a big golden handshake that
you have to write about in a couple of months time.
That's what I hope. I hope that there isn't, you know.
And I think they're probably you're looking at me like
like blankly there, But I think there will be. There
will definitely be a story coming up of what happens
and how it went down.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
No, no, no, I was the cogs and my brain
were turning thinking, oh, I should put a request in
to see if there was a golden handshake.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
So that's all.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
My last brain was flicking off.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
I thought you'd be well ahead of that one. So
I apologize if I put you in that one. But
I mean that's my, once again, my personal summition that
you know, if we read in six months time or
five months time or three months time or twenty four
hours time from Georgina Campbell that there's been a golden handshake,
I'm going to be awful pisted. Well.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
I can actually tell you, you know, all the directors
that have resigned from the Kimi Rail board, I did
ask about whether there were any golden handshakes of with
their resignations, and I can confirm they were not.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
I'm going to say I would have thought that we
would have read about it by now. If there was,
you would have let that one slip. I don't know,
and I might be raking up a bit of mud
that's not there. But you know, I always got on
with her and I thought she was okay, but obviously
the board didn't and there's a problem and she's gone,
and it doesn't make me feel any better about the
summer coming up.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
No, and this is the thing, it wasn't just that
budgeting era like we've had. You know, we've had a
summer of water restrictions and being told we could run
out of water and people queuing up to get emergency water.
We've had forty more than forty percent of our water
being lost through leaks.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Like it's just it is too are running right now
in Estbourne. You know, it's a problem after problem. So yeah,
Georgina Campbell, always great to have you on the show.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks EDB, Taking the pulse of the city.
The Capital Letter on news Talks ed B.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Joining us now is New Zealand Heralds. Wellington's Issues reported
Georgina Campbell. Good morning, Georgina morning. We'll cut start by
calling you by your real name and then we'll go
to George. Interesting story about PAPA and their collections of
thousands of specimens. Tell us about that story.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Yeah, this is a really quirky story that just really
kind of sparked my interest. So to. Papa has this
national collection of more than eight hundred and sixty thousand specimens.
So this includes fish, reptiles, all sorts of weird and
wonderful things. They're mostly stored in jars of alcohol. But
(00:55):
the problem is such a Wellington story that the building
that they're currently stored in in Tory Street is earthquake prime.
Another one.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Maybe they want to go and protest with Wellington Girls College.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
So look, it's actually in breach of health and safety
regulations this collection because you've got all those jars of
alcohol in an earthquake prone building. Not a great sort
of set of circumstances. Now, there is a plan underway
for a new facility and this was announced under the
previous government, so they've actually already purchased some land in
(01:32):
Upper Heart to build it. But the money that the
government has kind of released for this project only really
covers the planning phase. So I asked, you know, the
Minister Paul Goldsmith, in his capacity as Minister for Arts,
Culture and Heritage, is the government actually committed to funding
(01:52):
this new facility the build of it? And he said, well,
look to PAPA needs to develop an implementation business case
and the government will consider this in due course and
any further funding decisions will be made as part of
the budget process.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
So gosh, that's stock standard stuff, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, And it wasn't you know. I explicitly asked him
are you committed to seeing this project through? And he
didn't really answer that question. So TIPAPA has given him
a briefing just outlining the significant risks if this new
building doesn't happen, and they say that, you know, they
could lose access to the collection and actually face having
(02:28):
to throw it out. So that's eight hundred and sixty
thousand specimens and it's quite important for like scientists and
just the community and future generations having all of that knowledge,
you know, as part of this collection.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Wow, that's amazing. At least those specimens would have died happy,
wouldn't they been put in alcohol? Sitting there and now we'll.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Keep an eye on it because yes, it's something quiet.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Oh yeah, yeah, I was making light of a very
serious story. And that's nearly a million specimen. You know,
that's a lot of stuff. Yeah, you're getting rid of.
You had an interesting story on the oar terry running aground.
What did we learn? What have we found out? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
So I did Information Act requests for all the correspondence
between Transport Minister Simeon Brown's office and Transport officials and
Kiwi Rail, and I'll just sort of take you through
the highlights. There's this email that was sent by a
Ministry of Transport official, sent after midnight, and the official
(03:25):
says apologies for the late email. Just after ten pm,
the Inter Island Airy Auditory ran aground, not far from Picton,
and I just loved that, the kind of politeness of
apologies for the late email. But this major thing has.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Actually happened two hours before. I think, why did he
take two hours to get that was what my first
initial response was.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
And on a Friday night, so you know, like Sime
and Brown had been in Northland like dealing with that
pylon and then he had to pivot to this. So look,
it's just interesting to see basically that the scramble of
how they responded it also revealed the backup plan if
they couldn't refloat the arditory. So we actually said, ideally
(04:08):
they would have used two larger Wellington tugs as part
of the refloating operation, but they weren't available until the
following morning. So they basically said, look, we've got a
backup plan to use those bigger tugs if we can't
refloash it on the Saturday night, which of course they
were able to do.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Right. Tanya haschol is the chief executive for was the
chief executive of Willington Water. You've had a lot to
do with stories on Willington Water as your issues reporting job.
She's gone. What's happened?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Yeah? And I think the interesting thing here is just
the abruptness of her departure. So we got a statement
saying last week, saying Thursday on Thursday saying that you
know her resignation or her leaving will be effective from
Friday the following, you know, than twenty four hours basically.
(05:03):
And I think it is worth noting as well that
this comes off the back of Wellington Water overlooking a
budget era that resulted in an additional last minute bill
for councils of fifty one million dollars. The report into
that was really scathing. You know, see, Wellington Water was
an immature organization, had inadequate systems and processes and a
(05:25):
dysfunctional culture. Now that culture thing stands out to me
because really that in terms of the culture of the organization,
the buck stops with the chief executive. So in a
way we might not be surprised that Tanya Haskell is
Well has.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Gone now and the abruptness of it.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yeah, and in the statement that was issued there was
no mention of any of that, but I think it's
a pretty clear link just given the proximity of the
timing of that report and her leaving that it was.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
You wouldn't have to I mean, I can. I know
that you're a reporter and you have to report on facts,
but I'm a talk back hoast and I can say
what I like and I think the really reality is
that there was a problem there. They did a deal
and she's gone. That's why neither of them, I mean,
no one's talking. Are they near the party? The chairperson's
not speaking and she's not speaking. So let's sort it out.
(06:17):
Let you go clean slate. Everyone shuts up when we
get on the life.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Yeah, both have declined to be interviewed, and I think, well,
you know, I suspect it was just untenable for her
to remain in that position, given the scathing nature of
that report.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
And I really hope above all hopes and it's not
for any other reason that we're all tied on money.
But I hope that's not a big golden handshake that
you have to write about in a couple of months time.
That's what I hope. I hope that there isn't, you know.
And I think they're probably you're looking at me like
like blankly there, But I think there will be. There
will definitely be a story coming up of what happens
and how it went down.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
No, no, no, I was the cogs and my brain
were turning thinking, oh, I should put a request in
to see if there was a golden handshake.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
So that's all.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
My last brain was flicking off.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
I thought you'd be well ahead of that one. So
I apologize if I put you in that one. But
I mean that's my, once again, my personal summition that
you know, if we read in six months time or
five months time or three months time or twenty four
hours time from Georgina Campbell that there's been a golden handshake,
I'm going to be awful pisted. Well.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
I can actually tell you, you know, all the directors
that have resigned from the Kimi Rail board, I did
ask about whether there were any golden handshakes of with
their resignations, and I can confirm they were not.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
I'm going to say I would have thought that we
would have read about it by now. If there was,
you would have let that one slip. I don't know,
and I might be raking up a bit of mud
that's not there. But you know, I always got on
with her and I thought she was okay, but obviously
the board didn't and there's a problem and she's gone,
and it doesn't make me feel any better about the
summer coming up.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
No, and this is the thing, it wasn't just that
budgeting era like we've had. You know, we've had a
summer of water restrictions and being told we could run
out of water and people queuing up to get emergency water.
We've had forty more than forty percent of our water
being lost through leaks.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Like it's just it is too are running right now
in Estbourne. You know, it's a problem after problem. So yeah,
Georgina Campbell, always great to have you on the show.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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