What so tax the fark out of the rich so they leave the country also? Do you know how many people and trades they keep afloat? Another blind Labour supporter who wants everyone to be earning the same from those on a Benny to those working 80 hours a week. Stuff that. Cancel the unemployment for those on it over 6 months and put the money into the disabled.
Politics 🗳️ NZ Politics
- Thread starter wizard of Tauranga
- Start date
Health, education, crime, all worse under Labour cost of living, not to mention how many of the Labour Party who broke their own rules during Covid and the others who got the boot, minister of Justice getting DIC and doing a runner, how’s that for a start?
Didnt know what ram raids were till Labour decided to stop locking people up?
Cars are exponentially safer now than they were
If only the drivers were more safer!
Rick O’Shay
Contributor
They certainly are except in one area and that's visibility.
The A and B pillars these days are so thick with airbags and side support for the cigarette paper roof that it can be very difficult to see laterally, especially on the drivers side. Rear windows are now much smaller as well with the advent of backing cameras. Unfortunately the cameras don't give much of a view left or right.
My favourite gripes are the arseholes who think indicators are optional and the drivers who use the Egan no look pass when coming out of an intersection, sidestreet, driveway.
Egan would be a terrible driver eh. No indicators. Turning at the last minute. Zipping through slow moving trucks and buses.
- Thread starter
- #9,088
Drive like Bunty.
Egan would be a terrible driver eh. No indicators. Turning at the last minute. Zipping through slow moving trucks and buses.
Predictable. Defensively strong. Go straight ahead… and everyone get out of my way!
Rick O’Shay
Contributor
Seems to be par for the course in rural 'Naki
They’d be short car rides, you’d barely make it out of the driveway before stopping
No look passing
Egan would be a terrible driver eh. No indicators. Turning at the last minute. Zipping through slow moving trucks and buses.
his roof would be covered in dents, that’s for sure.
Egan would be a terrible driver eh. No indicators. Turning at the last minute. Zipping through slow moving trucks and buses.
So far, you're only reflecting your own biases. No facts either.
John Nick
Contributor
None of us in NZ knew either until the became a fad overseas.
Bay39er
Contributor
The new fad seems to be going around Ponsonby popping people off
Terrible decision to cancel the new ferries - https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/maint...rislander-ferries/BN46FNYCRFDDXKF6MLLOHBIRXY/
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NOW PLAYING • Missing Marokopa children and Interisander ferry costs | Focus Morning Bulletin June 19, 2024
Missing Marokopa children’s mum speaks out, how much Interislander ferries are costing to keep afloat and why half of Kiwi workers are keen to change jobs. Video / NZ Herald / RNZ
48
Estimated annual maintenance costs to keep KiwiRail’s three ageing Interislander ferries running could almost double to $65 million by next year, and keeping the ferries afloat will be an “ongoing battle”.
A previous assessment of the fleet’s condition raised concerns about steel corrosion, metal getting weak and cracking, and prohibitive maintenance expenses.
The project to replace the fleet with two mega ferries was left dead in the water in December after overall costs, including new terminals and wharf upgrades, ballooned to almost $3 billion and the new Government refused to fund the blowout.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has previously refused to commit to replacing the fleet by 2026, which is when the now-cancelled mega ferries were due to arrive.
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Given the project’s history of delays, budget blowouts, and other problems, Willis said people were “dreaming” if they thought the mega ferries would be up and running with the necessary port development in place by that time.
A Ministerial Advisory Group is looking into new options for the future of the ferry service.
The 2021 detailed business case for the mega ferry project paints a challenging picture of the reality KiwiRail will be up against while attempting to keep its ships in shape for longer.
“The cost of maintaining the current fleet is becoming prohibitive,” the report said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise with NZME.
It cost $33m to maintain the fleet in 2021/22.
KiwiRail estimated the annual maintenance cost would almost double to $65m if the existing fleet is required to continue across 2025-2030.
“The existing ferries will reach the end of their serviceable and economic lives by the mid-2020s and will become increasingly unreliable and costly to maintain,” the report said.
“Ships’ lives cannot be extended in perpetuity. Rust and obsolescence of systems means the ships will ultimately lose their maritime ‘warrant of fitness’ and have to stop operating.”
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has previously refused to commit to replacing the Interislander fleet in some shape or form by 2026. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The Herald asked KiwiRail for updated estimated maintenance costs but none were available.
Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said the cost of maintaining the fleet is commercially sensitive - however, it was expected to rise as the ships age.
“KiwiRail will continue to run a safe and reliable Interislander service for passengers and their cars, and freight, while working with stakeholders on the ferry replacement project,” Roy said.
The mega ferry business case specifically addressed the physical condition of the Interislander fleet and said KiwiRail was “pushing right up against an unacceptable risk profile”.
There were concerns about the corrosion of pipes, deck plates and tanks due to the harsh marine environment. An example was given of $300,000 being spent on repairing just one small section of pipe.
“A major issue faced with the fleet is corrosion in pipework and exposed decks, which Interislander is dealing with at dry dock, but [which] will be an ongoing battle up until the ships retire from service.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise with NZME.
Repetitive vibration caused by mechanical equipment and heavy seas would eventually cause the metal in key parts of the ships to become weak and crack, the report said.
“Sometimes this can be very sudden and unexpected.”
Estimated annual maintenance costs to keep KiwiRail’s three ageing Interislander ferries running could almost double to $65 million by next year. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The electronic systems that control critical systems on the ships become unsupported by their manufacturers and it is impossible to get replacement parts, the report said.
“Many systems now also lack internal knowledge as staff will have retired, which is just as important as the parts themselves.”
As the fleet ages, regulatory inspections become much more detailed and stringent, meaning the ships could be out of service for longer periods of time, the report said.
“On top of being very expensive and uneconomical, at worst, the regulator may prevent the ships being used for operations.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise with NZME.
KiwiRail’s most recent half-year report said its leadership team was committed to safety and service reliability for customers.
This was shown by Interislander’s determination to move on from the incident when its ferry Kaitaki lost power in Cook Strait with 864 people on board and started drifting towards the South Coast, the half-year report said.
“The safe and reliable operation of the Interislander service is an absolute non-negotiable requirement for KiwiRail. Since this event, we have conducted a full review of all our asset management practices, using global maritime experts (Det Norske Veritas) to ensure we are operating the Interislander to [the] world’s best-practice standards, based on the age and condition of our existing fleet.”
Roy said the three ships were the workhorses of Cook Strait.
“They have delivered excellent performance in recent months, with our enhanced maintenance programme producing tangible results, with 99 per cent reliability and 92 per cent safe, on-time performance to schedule during December to April.”
KiwiRail told Transport Minister Simeon Brown in a weekly report from earlier this year the investment in maintenance has helped rebuild confidence in Interislander.
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise with NZME.
The state-owned enterprise also told Brown Interislander passed its annual Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) audit with excellent results and its operating licence was renewed.
“Just over a year ago, our MNZ audit found nine non-conformities (some major) and 13 observations. A year later and we have recorded zero non-conformities and four observations. This is an exceptional outcome and has come about through a lot of hard work at many levels.”
Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.
Maintenance costs double for KiwiRail’s ageing Cook Strait Interislander ferries
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Georgina Campbell
19 Jun, 2024 05:00 AM5 mins to readSave
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NOW PLAYING • Missing Marokopa children and Interisander ferry costs | Focus Morning Bulletin June 19, 2024
Missing Marokopa children’s mum speaks out, how much Interislander ferries are costing to keep afloat and why half of Kiwi workers are keen to change jobs. Video / NZ Herald / RNZ
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Existing newspaper subscribers, find out how to activate your digital subscriptionEstimated annual maintenance costs to keep KiwiRail’s three ageing Interislander ferries running could almost double to $65 million by next year, and keeping the ferries afloat will be an “ongoing battle”.
A previous assessment of the fleet’s condition raised concerns about steel corrosion, metal getting weak and cracking, and prohibitive maintenance expenses.
The project to replace the fleet with two mega ferries was left dead in the water in December after overall costs, including new terminals and wharf upgrades, ballooned to almost $3 billion and the new Government refused to fund the blowout.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has previously refused to commit to replacing the fleet by 2026, which is when the now-cancelled mega ferries were due to arrive.
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise with NZME.
Given the project’s history of delays, budget blowouts, and other problems, Willis said people were “dreaming” if they thought the mega ferries would be up and running with the necessary port development in place by that time.
A Ministerial Advisory Group is looking into new options for the future of the ferry service.
Discover more
- Government releases documents behind decision to cancel ...
- KiwiRail finally cancelled Cook Strait mega ferry contract ...
- Cook Strait mega ferry document dump damning for KiwiRail ...
- Briefing floats possibility of KiwiRail exiting Cook ...
The 2021 detailed business case for the mega ferry project paints a challenging picture of the reality KiwiRail will be up against while attempting to keep its ships in shape for longer.
“The cost of maintaining the current fleet is becoming prohibitive,” the report said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise with NZME.
It cost $33m to maintain the fleet in 2021/22.
KiwiRail estimated the annual maintenance cost would almost double to $65m if the existing fleet is required to continue across 2025-2030.
“The existing ferries will reach the end of their serviceable and economic lives by the mid-2020s and will become increasingly unreliable and costly to maintain,” the report said.
“Ships’ lives cannot be extended in perpetuity. Rust and obsolescence of systems means the ships will ultimately lose their maritime ‘warrant of fitness’ and have to stop operating.”
The Herald asked KiwiRail for updated estimated maintenance costs but none were available.
Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said the cost of maintaining the fleet is commercially sensitive - however, it was expected to rise as the ships age.
“KiwiRail will continue to run a safe and reliable Interislander service for passengers and their cars, and freight, while working with stakeholders on the ferry replacement project,” Roy said.
The mega ferry business case specifically addressed the physical condition of the Interislander fleet and said KiwiRail was “pushing right up against an unacceptable risk profile”.
There were concerns about the corrosion of pipes, deck plates and tanks due to the harsh marine environment. An example was given of $300,000 being spent on repairing just one small section of pipe.
“A major issue faced with the fleet is corrosion in pipework and exposed decks, which Interislander is dealing with at dry dock, but [which] will be an ongoing battle up until the ships retire from service.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise with NZME.
Repetitive vibration caused by mechanical equipment and heavy seas would eventually cause the metal in key parts of the ships to become weak and crack, the report said.
“Sometimes this can be very sudden and unexpected.”
The electronic systems that control critical systems on the ships become unsupported by their manufacturers and it is impossible to get replacement parts, the report said.
“Many systems now also lack internal knowledge as staff will have retired, which is just as important as the parts themselves.”
As the fleet ages, regulatory inspections become much more detailed and stringent, meaning the ships could be out of service for longer periods of time, the report said.
“On top of being very expensive and uneconomical, at worst, the regulator may prevent the ships being used for operations.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise with NZME.
KiwiRail’s most recent half-year report said its leadership team was committed to safety and service reliability for customers.
This was shown by Interislander’s determination to move on from the incident when its ferry Kaitaki lost power in Cook Strait with 864 people on board and started drifting towards the South Coast, the half-year report said.
“The safe and reliable operation of the Interislander service is an absolute non-negotiable requirement for KiwiRail. Since this event, we have conducted a full review of all our asset management practices, using global maritime experts (Det Norske Veritas) to ensure we are operating the Interislander to [the] world’s best-practice standards, based on the age and condition of our existing fleet.”
Roy said the three ships were the workhorses of Cook Strait.
“They have delivered excellent performance in recent months, with our enhanced maintenance programme producing tangible results, with 99 per cent reliability and 92 per cent safe, on-time performance to schedule during December to April.”
KiwiRail told Transport Minister Simeon Brown in a weekly report from earlier this year the investment in maintenance has helped rebuild confidence in Interislander.
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise with NZME.
The state-owned enterprise also told Brown Interislander passed its annual Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) audit with excellent results and its operating licence was renewed.
“Just over a year ago, our MNZ audit found nine non-conformities (some major) and 13 observations. A year later and we have recorded zero non-conformities and four observations. This is an exceptional outcome and has come about through a lot of hard work at many levels.”
Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.
Rick O’Shay
Contributor
With my boomer neo lib hat on, I can't for the life of me think why the state needs to own the ferries?
Blueridge must be making a buck otherwise they'd be long gone. Maybe they could be persuaded to stump up for another couple of ships. Problem solved.
Blueridge must be making a buck otherwise they'd be long gone. Maybe they could be persuaded to stump up for another couple of ships. Problem solved.
Vital infrastructure should never be in the hands of private interests
LNP in Aus announced full nuclear power program if elected. Maybe interesting for Aus-NZ relations. Election pending of course, which is far from given.
- Thread starter
- #9,100
Like our own gas production facilities?
Like our Whangarei oil refinery?
Is it vital infrastructure if multiple options can supply it? Eg kiwi rail, blueridge, air freight, costal shipping, etc.
