Winston Peters Is Right on the Interislander

13 May 2014

The Taxpayers’ Union is backing Winston Peters’ criticism of the Government’s management of the Interislander and the ongoing series of ‘bad luck’ and botch ups. Today the Dominion Post reports Winston Peters’ allegation that KiwiRail is covering up the seriousness of recent incidents with the troubled ferry fleet.

Taxpayer Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says, “We agree with Mr Peters that the Government is not a good manager of a shipping fleet. Every time one of the boats breaks down the politicians get involved and try to second guess management and captains."

“None of these sort of problems appear to happen with the Interislander’s competitor, Bluebridge. Selling the Interislander operation would prevent taxpayers being on the hook everything something goes wrong."

“A government owned ferry service only made sense when most freight was hauled by the government and private operators didn’t exist. That’s just not the case now. A private shipping company is likely to have far more expertise in managing ferries than the Government and is likely to offer a better service for consumers."

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is a non-partisan activist group, dedicated to being the voice for Kiwi taxpayers in the corridors of power. It’s here to fight government waste and make sure New Zealanders get value for money from their tax dollar.

ENDS

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