One of the biggest calls that the new Government made came in its first few weeks: the repudiation of the contract with a South Korean dockyard for replacement Interislander ferries.
Now a decision on how to secure the future of the Cook Strait ferries looms as one of the most important decisions that the Government will take during the course of this parliamentary term – a fact that didn’t need any further reinforcement, but was certainly underlined by the running aground of the Aratere in June.
As the weeks go by without clarity on the future of the Cook Strait connection, there has been mounting uncertainty for both the businesses who rely on a resilient supply chain between our two islands, and for families who entrust their safety to our increasingly worn fleet of ferries.
