Regular readers may remember that New Zealand’s state-owned lifeline Cook Strait Ferries have been drifting toward rocks with hundreds on board, running into harbours and stranding passengers on the wrong harbour with their elderly vessels, on average 10 years older than out CalMac boats..

The outgoing Labour government oversaw a contract for two new ferries ballooning to $2 billion and the incoming National (conservative) government completely cancelled the deal with a $3 million penalty to the Korean builders, putting the Ferguson Marine delays and over-runs into perspective.

Tomorrow in the NZ Daily blog:

Let’s get this completely straight.

KiwiRail negotiates a sweetheart deal for 2 Rail capable Ferries for $550m at a time when boat builders were desperate for work.

It was a sweetheart deal because it gave us an upgrade to Rail that would be crucial to lower our emissions targets and to build capacity into the Cook Strait for more economic growth.

The cost ‘blowout’ was the necessary and predictable upgrade to the Ports. Labour should get a kick in the arse over how this managed to be a surprise to everyone, but the cost to upgrade the Ports was always going to be a necessity.

National get in and immediately kill the deal by rat-fucking KiwiRail so their Trucking Industry Interests are protected.

Nicola Willis wanted the virtue signal of killing the deal off without seeming to bother working out what to do next. It was more important to her to look like she was slashing Labour’s spending without working out the true cost of that.

With the grounding of the Aratere, National have had their hand forced and they will now buy 2 ships which MUNZ argue will cost $1.2billion because National are now buying at the top end of the market.

Remember, the 2 Ferries will be smaller, not Rail capable and will keep the existing freight capacity rather than any expansion!

So Nicola Willis will be spending over $1.5billion for a Toyota Corolla that’s worse than the car you currently drive and you all think that’s good management is it?

National dumped the Ferry deal to virtue signal while ratfucking KiwiRail for the Trucking industry.

AND NOW after fucking this over so badly for bullshit virtue signal points, National are eyeing up privatising the whole thing after being the ones who destroyed it

She claimed to want a Toyota Corolla instead of a Tesla.

^{https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2024/07/01/so-nicola-willis-will-spend-1-2billion-on-a-toyota-corolla/}

Add a New Zealand fact-finding trip to the Greek ferry passenger pushed to his death in the screws experience, for Scotland’s ferry moaning committee members?