Can Winston Peters really find a ‘better’ ferry solution by March? – Editorial

Editorial

In two months’ time, Rail Minister Winston Peters needs to present a better replacement plan for the Interislander ferries or accept the one already devised by Nicola Willis.

It’s a tough mission even for a highly experienced politician like Peters, especially given he’ll be determined to do better, making the ferries rail-enabled while keeping costs down.

The coalition Government last month delivered an uninspiring pre-Christmas update on KiwiRail’s Cook Strait ferries, revealing it hadn’t agreed on a final replacement plan, no new ships had been ordered and no final costs signed off.

Instead, it was setting up a Schedule 4A company to procure two medium-sized rail-compatible ferries to replace the three current ageing vessels.

Alternative private sector proposals are also being invited which will be assessed alongside the procurement process in March.

If there are no better options by then, the Government will go ahead with its two chosen ferries, described by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon as a “great solution”.

But whether that “great solution” ever sees the light of day now lies in the hands of Peters. Willis announced his promotion during last month’s press conference – simultaneously setting the clock ticking for him to come up with a better solution.

As a result, New Zealand’s once again starting the year with no plan in place to replace and upgrade one of the country’s most critical pieces of national infrastructure.

We’re in the same position we were last January, after Willis scrapped the Labour Government’s iRex project because of budget blowouts.

Under that plan, we would have been getting two brand new, rail-enabled mega ferries next year, with portside infrastructure to support them.

Willis says the existing Interislander fleet can safely continue operating until 2029, and the new ferries will comfortably arrive by then – as long as they’re ordered in March.

But there’s no guarantee Peters will accept the March timeframe set by National. Three months is incredibly short to find a solution to a very complex problem, especially given Willis took double that to find her answer.

It also includes the traditional summer and festive shutdown period.

What if Peters needs a few more weeks to hear back from shipyards, what if he realises it was never enough time and demands more to properly canvas options.

What if March arrives, and the coalition can’t decide whether Willis or Peters’ solution is better?

It’s not just hope riding on our politicians reaching an agreement on one of the most significant decisions of this term, it’s the future of Cook Strait trade and travel.

There’s no knowing what impact a delay to the March deadline would have on the arrival of new ships, but we’ll simply have to trust our leaders won’t let their own interests get in the way of the best solution for the country.

Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.