Editorial: Warships and ferries leave troubled waters for Peters to calm in Asia

Foreign Minister Winston Peters in China last week as part of a whirlwind tour. Photo / Supplied / NZ Embassy in Beijing

Editorial

Winston Peters has spent the week on a diplomatic mission to strengthen ties and ease tensions as two significant ship sagas gain momentum, threatening political harmony back home.

The Foreign Minister has been on a whirlwind tour of China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Mongolia and South Korea.

The experienced politician has made the most of his time by not only dealing with warships in the Tasman Sea but also ferries in Cook Strait.

Earlier this week Peters was in Beijing, where China’s three warships conducting live-fire naval exercises dominated talks.

Peters spoke as strongly as he could – given China has a right to be in the Tasman Sea under international law – labelling the situation a “failure” in the New Zealand-China relationship.

It was a clear message, delivered in person, that we are none too pleased by the recent turn of events, especially the lack of warning.

South Korea was the final stop, where the conversation around regional security in an increasingly uncertain world continued.

But it hasn’t just been foreign affairs on Peters' mind, with a looming deadline kicking in now we’ve rolled into March.

As the relatively new Rail Minister, Peters also used his visit to meet with representatives of Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD), the South Korean shipyard contracted to build our now-cancelled mega ferries to replace Interislander’s three ageing vessels.

Negotiations to exit the contract with HMD have been playing out for more than a year now.

Peters only has until the end of this month to come up with a better solution than Nicola Willis has already tabled to safeguard Cook Strait travel and trade.

The Government last month announced it was narrowing the list of potential shipbuilders for new ferries so a deal can be struck swiftly when ministers agree on the type of vessels they want.

In a statement, Peters confirmed he attended a meeting relating to the ferries in Seoul.

“We took the opportunity while in Korea to meet with ship building company Hyundai Heavy Industries.

“It was good to acknowledge our long relationship. We are in a global search for new ferries, exploring a range of options, and will have more to say on this after Cabinet meets at the end of March.”

If Peters has managed to renegotiate a ship-building contract, which results in us avoiding a hefty exit fee for the previous one, it would be a remarkable feat.

Coming back to New Zealand with a salvaged deal to replace the Interislander ferries – and having shown some strength back to China around its “aggressive” warships – would be a major coup for the Deputy Prime Minister.

It would reflect control and assertiveness in a time of unease, and finally some decision-making on an issue that has treaded water for far too long.

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