Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
30 JUNE 2014
Track Record Puts Doubts Over Aratere
The Aratere may well be back on the Cook Strait run soon but is it fixed, asks New Zealand First.
“Given its past problems and the fact that KiwiRail went ahead with extending it against sound maritime advice, who says
the troubles are over,” says New Zealand First Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters.
Mr Peters says KiwiRail should announce who will be fired for the Aratere debacle after the company admitted today the
cost of repairs to the Aratere had reached $30 million.
“There was also a lot of revenue lost from cargo and traffic every time a sailing of the Aratere was cancelled. Add to
that the $7 million cost of hiring the Stena Alegra as a replacement ship.
“Incompetent management, on high salaries, should be paying for this with their jobs,” he says.
ENDS