The Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) is condemning KiwiRail’s decision to resurrect its "NZ Connect" coastal shipping workaround with overseas carriers as a “total surrender of New Zealand’s maritime capacity and security.”

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says the move to rely on overseas-owned carriers like ANL and CMA CGM is a short-sighted stop-gap measure.

“This plan that exposes the hollowing out of our domestic supply chain capacity, furthering our reliance on overseas carriers at a time of global volatility and conflict.”

He says by handing freight to global shipping giants, KiwiRail is admitting it has no plan to invest in much needed New Zealand-flagged vessels or the local seafarers who should be crewed on our own coast.

“New Zealand is becoming a helpless observer of its own transport system, watching freight dollars drain away overseas instead of building local wealth and jobs.”

Mr Findlay says the situation is a direct downstream outcome of the disastrous decision by Finance Minister Nicola Willis to cancel the iRex ferry deal.

The Interislander service will be reduced to a single ship from 22 June to 26 September while the Kaiārahi undergoes local maintenance and the Kaitaki is sent to Singapore for dry-docking.

KiwiRail documents show a projected 259 days of reduced service before the new ferries finally arrive in 2029.

Mr Findlay says the scale of the announced service is a “Band-Aid.”

He says New Zealanders deserve a reliable, resilient, and publicly owned “Blue Highway” that is not one mechanical fault away from a national crisis.

“The Maritime Union is calling for KiwiRail and the Government to set up a long-term coastal shipping service with New Zealand flagged and crewed vessels.”

The Union demands a permanent fix for the Cook Strait crossing that prioritizes New Zealand workers and national security over the convenience of global shipping lines.

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