David Seymour questions Govt ownership of Cook Strait ferries after Winston Peters confirms state
New Zealand Act Party leader David Seymour has criticized the government's decision to keep the new Cook Strait ferry fleet under state ownership. He argues that the private sector is better equipped to manage ferry services and questions the cost to taxpayers.
Why it matters
The debate reflects broader ideological tensions regarding the role of government in infrastructure and state-owned enterprises.
Act leader David Seymour has questioned whether the Government should be in the ferry business, a day after Winston Peters confirmed the new Cook Strait fleet would not be privatised.
Seymour has also questioned whether the new ferries’ names, Kupe and Cook , represent a “quiet nod to co-governance”.
Rail Minister Winston Peters on Friday confirmed the two new rail-enabled ferries will be state-owned and be operated by KiwiRail , after earlier speculation about private sector involvement .
Peters said there had been “a debate and discussion” among the coalition partners about the issue, but said “common sense” had ultimately prevailed.
Part-privatisation was floated in a Cabinet paper, revealed by the Herald in July last year , suggesting that Ferry Holdings – the company created by the Government to procure the new ferries – “consider options for ferry ownership and operation”.
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