The Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) says suggestions of privatisation of the new Cook Strait Interislander ferries would be a dangerous step backwards.
The proposals were contained in a cabinet paper presented to the Government earlier this year and obtained by media under the OIA.
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says past privatisation of strategic transport infrastructure had caused great harm to our national supply chain.
He says the ideological push for privatization will be coming from the extreme right in the Government represented by the ACT Party.
Mr Findlay says New Zealand’s rail network, including the ferries, had been sold off to overseas corporates in the 1990s by a right wing National Government.
“What followed was a textbook case of corporate raiding, where assets were stripped for short-term profit, maintenance was run into the ground, and workers paid with their lives due to shocking health and safety breaches.”
“The taxpayer was then forced to spend millions to buy back the asset and start the long process of fixing it up.”
Mr Findlay says it is essential for a New Zealand owned, public ferry operator to be on the Cook Strait for economic security and supply chain resilience.
He says the Cook Strait is our ‘blue highway’, an essential extension of State Highway 1 and the Main Trunk Line.
“We believe the Minister of Rail, Winston Peters, who has spoken at length about the failures of past privatisations, will not allow the Government to be swayed by ACT style agendas.”
Mr Findlay says the ferry replacement process has already been a fiasco, with the decision of Finance Minister Nicola Willis to cancel the iRex project creating years of delays and a billion dollar cost to New Zealand.
He says there are many other opportunities for private operators to enter into other coastal shipping services, and the Government should be supporting this goal.
“For the Cook Strait, our focus should be on investing in a modern, reliable, and publicly-owned ferry fleet that is fit for the 21st century and serves all New Zealanders.”
The Maritime Union of New Zealand represents seafaring and catering crews on both Cook Strait ferry operators.
