Anger as New Zealand ministers told ferries needed ‘urgent attention’ BEFORE project axed

State-owned KiwiRail’s aging ferry managing to avoid the rocks this time – Photo: Getty Images / Hagen Hopkins

Yesterday, we heard that aging Australian ferries were being brought back into service to replace cheap Chinese-built ferries blowing up.

Today, we hear:

KiwiRail told ministers its ill-fated ferry project required “urgent attention”, just days before it got axed. The Interislander operator today released its briefing to the incoming ministers, which had been prepared at the end of November. Shortly after the report was written, the project to buy two new ferries and upgrade two ports was axed when the government refused to spend an extra $1.5 billion.

In recent times, we’ve heard of cheap Vietnamese-built privately-owned ferries running aground on Orkney and cheap Rumanian-built ferries still unfit two years after delivery in Lake Ontario, Canada.

Also, in 2023, we had Washington State Ferries admit a decent service was years off after 50% of of its fleet was in dock and British Columbia ferries unable to offer better than 85% (CalMac 95%) reliability due to staff shortages, staff disputes and aging vessels.

Closer to home, we’ve seen cuts and soaring prices, to twice CalMac levels, on Isle of Wight Ferries and a complete breakdown of services with cheap privately-owned French-built ferries in the Channel Islands.

There was trouble in Malta too but I forget the details.

We won’t dwell on no service at all for wee islands and one ‘late’ passenger pushed to his death in Greece.

Makes you think that maybe ferry-services are challenging to operate and that profit-making private ownership combined with cheap foreign builds does not work in the interests of travellers? What do you think Councillor Home Counties of Mull or Islay or?

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/508984/ferries-need-urgent-attention-ministers-told-before-project-axed

Footnote – reports here from all around the globe and that guy at the Herald claims to be Scotland’s leading reporter on ferries? More like a version of Tam Cowan’s Off the Ball show – petty and ill-informed.

9 thoughts on “Anger as New Zealand ministers told ferries needed ‘urgent attention’ BEFORE project axed”

  1. Didn’t I read recently that a representative from England’s Tory government had a meeting with stakeholders to discuss the dire state of Scotland’s ferry services?

    Can we expect “levelling up” funds to be made available to islanders so that they can run their own services?

    More likely just another opportunity for London to claim that public services in Scotland are being mismanaged by the SNP government but with zero prospect of more cash being made available.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. “Didn’t I read recently that a representative from England’s Tory government had a meeting with stakeholders to discuss the dire state of Scotland’s ferry services”?

      Is that before or after a representative from Scotland’s SNP government meets with the Defence Secretary from the Tory government to discuss the dire state of HMS Prince of Wales as that is now 2/2 of the UK’s new aircraft carriers knackered……. as HMS Queen Elizabeth cancelled its deployment to the exercise off Norway at the last minute, after an “issue” was found with a coupling on the starboard propeller shaft.

      Mind you apparently the Defence Secretary is currently absorbed with “Woke extremists being rife in the Army” according to the English edition of today’s Daily Telegraph….so seems like he’s got his priorities right…..or is he , like other Tory government ministers , just trying to deflect the public’s attention away from the mess that they, Tories, oversee within their UK……to include the economy and warning signs of a recession…..in a possible GE year……which would then herald Labour in….not by them, Labour, succeeding via any achievement but just because the Tories have been such a disaster….thus assumption being that they, Labour, are the lesser of two evils (which is still evil or rather in the UK….. EVEL)…..

      Talking of Labour….they are in a right pickle are they not….their candidate Azhar Ali for the Rochdale by-election has been forced to apologise for comments he made about Israel…..how ironic that Starmer has been praised as being apparently instrumental in removing much of the supposed anti Semitism from the Labour party to then tactically pick someone to stand in this by-election to try and win over the Muslim vote in Rochdale …..who then, as their candidate, is accused of making a anti Semitic remark….then he apologises (which will not go down too well with some Muslims in that area)…….I think we ALL know whose side Starmer and Labour are on….and tis NOT the Palestinian people and thus it is NOT just much of the Muslim vote they will lose for their position but many many others also in the UK who are NOT Muslims and who support Palestine…..oh dear ….what with Labour’s U Turns and their pandering to bankers , Private Health and wealthy donors (formerly Tory donors) and their supporting Israel in their destruction of Gaza….well I think their assumption of a landslide may just be slipping away…….here’s hoping.

      Vote SNP in Scotland in the next GE or live the subsequent next four years as if you were still being governed by a TORY UK government…..Scots and new Scots you have been WARNED !

      NMRN

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

      1. The whole anti semitism claims made against people for speaking out about Israel’s genocide perpetrated in front of our very eyes in Gaza, is really scary. Having read a bit about witchcraft in Europe in the 1500/1600’s, there are some aspects of how innocent people, mainly women but also some men, were named and shamed, and it didn’t end well for them. Scary times.

        Liked by 3 people

        Reply

    1. The irony of the Cook straits and Tory connection is priceless from a Scottish perspective – It’s relatively easy to confuse the James Cook straits at Pacific Quay with real world stuff on the other side of the world, but each is bloody dangerous…

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.