We all recognise the need for safe, reliable ferries plying the Cook Strait between the North and South Islands carrying passengers and freight. But how to best achieve this is the subject of considerable debate.
The debate and speculation about the ferries has not been helped by the report on replacing the ferries by the Ministerial Advisory Group being hidden behind closed doors. The final decision will affect our nation for many decades to come. Openness, not secrecy, will lead to the best decision.
As National Party infrastructure minister Chris Bishop recently suggested, all parties need to work together on important long term infrastructure projects such as this. We see division within the coalition parties on this issue. But it is so crucial, all parties, whether in government or opposition, need to set ideology aside and work together for a solution.
