Open mike 22/06/2024

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 22nd, 2024 - 39 comments
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39 comments on “Open mike 22/06/2024 ”

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  1. Ad 1
    22 June 2024 at 7:16 am

    Will be a fascinating day watching Wilis spin out of this latest predictable ferry disaster, after killing off IREX replacement.

    • David 1.1
      22 June 2024 at 8:06 am

      Yeah, however I don’t think the two are linked.

      The costs of the new ferries, along with the related infrastructure were horrendous. Added to that, there were concerns about the size, the new ferries were to be much larger than the existing ones, and the Tory channel is narrow and tricky at the best of times.

      This latest issue is due to a lack of maintenance, and quite likely the ship is at the end of its economic life. This keeps because Kiwi-rail no longer have the institutional engineering knowledge, and access to the heavy engineering facilities to safely operate the ferries.

      • Obtrectator 1.1.1
        22 June 2024 at 8:24 am

        If this had been a LW cock-up, you can bet your shirt the RW would succeed in making a connection and getting folk to believe it.

      • tc 1.1.2
        22 June 2024 at 8:25 am

        Overdue upgrades costing over the odds isnt news. Thought they were purpose built so whilst tight still can navigate where required to

        Aren't these used ferries because the key government refused funding new….a theme there.

        Then the key/english crew went about screwing over kiwirail and we got abestos carriages, fake bearings and engineering capacity closed at hillside etc.

        Cause meet effect.

      • KJT 1.1.3
        22 June 2024 at 8:39 am

        The costs of the new ferries, along with the related infrastructure were horrendous.

        Absolute rubbish. It may appear "horrendous" in the fever dreams of right wingers. Not compared with the ongoing costs of continuing with aging ferries and terminals that are not fit for purpose.

        NACT don't seem to have any problem with the "horrendous costs' of small sections of new highways for the trucking industry, or those of giving landlords tax breaks that "other businesses" don't have. Or the costs to the health system of bringing back prescription charges.

        No after politics, Directorships, available with Kiwi rail?

      • Bearded Git 1.1.4
        22 June 2024 at 12:34 pm

        This government is proposing to spend around $16.5 billion on Roads of National Significance….see here:

        https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/350204163/cheat-sheet-governments-15-roads-national-significance

        The $3 billion for two rail-capable ferries and associated land infrastructure that will last for a couple of generations, and that will give the public confidence in an incredibly important and strategic transport link (while also encouraging the use of rail, keeping thousands of truck movements off the road) seems a bargain in comparison.

      • Ad 1.1.5
        22 June 2024 at 4:17 pm

        The cost of the ferries and the terminals was under $3 billion, which was cheap.

        City Rail Link in Auckland has only regional benefit and is already $6b and rising once all the extra investment to tracks and stations is put in – not even counting the higher operational costs.

        Both ferries and the terminals on both sides had woeful investment over multiple decades. I am sure you knew that from your rail insider knowledge. It's also been published for decades across multiple agencies.

        Of course you would know that against $3 billion for several decades of underinvestment, about $15 billion of trade goes on those ferries every single year.

        You just wouldn't expect to hear the benefit and risk number from the Minister of Finance or Treasury.

    • Sanctuary 1.2
      22 June 2024 at 10:46 am

      I think we know what the response is going to be – blame Kiwirail.

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/government-unimpressed-with-kiwirails-maintenance-of-cook-strait-interislander-ferries/3JDRRFXHWZAY5F3PWSCNH3WRHM/

      We are so riding our luck with these ships. The don't use Tory channel anymore precisely because of lack of faith in the ships stearing system. It is a complete joke. If we lose one life in a ferry disaster on this governments watch the blame will rest entirely with Willis and Luxon. Given how dangerous the strait is an outsize disaster losing many lives is even possible. The sea is an utterly unforgiving environment, a relentless and remorseless killer if allowed, and NZ of course has no native salvage tugs or rescue capability should a ferry be lost in a storm due to mechanical failure. We’ve got no plan for safer passages and no plan in case of disaster.

      Inevitably, this government will de facto privatise the Cook strait link by letting the current Kiwirail fleet be withdrawn due to end of life safety issues, leaving Bluebridge as he only provider. Bluebridge will then wait a bit to ensure the Kiwirail infrastructure is utterly trashed then ruthlessly extract monopoly rents for a shittified third world service and donate heavily to Shane Jones to keep things that way and National's farmer mates will demand more relief from regulation to offset the increased costs of transport….

      • Cricklewood 1.2.1
        22 June 2024 at 12:41 pm

        The fact that we dont actually have a big enough tug in NZ let alone Wellington to rescue a ferry in the straight in anything less than perfect conditions is pretty damn frightening. Came pretty close to disaster when it lost power last year.

  2. David 2
    22 June 2024 at 7:27 am

    FFS The Picton ferry has run aground, thankfully it’s safe, steering failure apparently. Given the mechanical failure the ferry’s have had over the past decade. Something tells me that the organisation is run by useless administrators who look at engineers and their maintenance schedules as an irritation to be ignored.

    The power pylon that fell over, the other day happened because someone unbolted structural elements.

    I know some of us kiwis have a love of our “no 8 fencing wire mentality”, but there are times when the technically qualified people, engineers need to be in charge.

    • KJT 2.1
      22 June 2024 at 8:48 am

      Yes.

      Someone "in charge" apart from the bunch of idealogically destructive and ignorant vandals currently in Government would be good.

      • David 2.1.1
        22 June 2024 at 11:19 am

        As much as I’d like to blame the current government, the blame for this comes down to the incompetence of the management running the organisation.

        I worked for large manufacturing companies overseas. Coming back home, I think we have a professional managerial class, who lack the knowledge and experience to know when they are out of their depth and who seem to distrust, or are threatened by engineers or technical experts, and are often resentful about how much the engineers get paid.

        • Maurice 2.1.1.1
          22 June 2024 at 11:49 am

          No doubt KiwiRail management thought they were getting nice new ferries so stopped critical maintenance on the old ones prematurely – probably despite of their Engineers recommendations.

        • Descendant Of Smith 2.1.1.2
          22 June 2024 at 12:36 pm

          They've infected everywhere. Give good managers a bad name they do.

          The notion that managers can go into any organisation and be effective is just so fucked up. In my experience they arrive, try and make their own flavoursome changes then bugger off to the next cushy job just before the shit hits the fan.

          Lacking expertise and knowledge and think economics is a science. 99% right leaning.

          • bwaghorn 2.1.1.2.1
            22 June 2024 at 6:07 pm

            try and make their own flavoursome changes then bugger off to the next cushy job just before the shit hits the fan.

            Some of them even rise to prime Minister

    • SPC 2.2
      22 June 2024 at 11:53 am

      Another ship had steering problems in 2023.

      In January 2023, the Kaitaki broke down in the Cook Strait and ended up drifting, resulting in a mayday call.

      Tug boats had to escort the ferry, which had 880 people on board, to Wellington.

      A report later found the breakdown was partly due to KiwiRail not replacing critical engine parts.

      Maritime NZ has since filed a charge against KiwiRail under the Health and Safety at Work Act in relation to the incident. The maximum penalty is $1.5 million.

      In March 2023, the Kaitaki was again taken out of service due to gearbox issues, then in August, some passengers had to spend the night aboard after it had to turn back mid-sailing due to problems with its steering.

      Earlier this year, all passenger sailings on the Kaiarahi were cancelled for several days due to a mechanical fault.

      The Aratere itself lost a poorly fitted propeller during a sailing in 2013.

      It was out of action for six months for dry dock repair work in Singapore. During that time, cracks in the shafts that turned its rudders were also found and fixed.

      That noted, the government has blocked a planned renewal and has offered no support for funding maintenance for a longer than planned for use.

      It's agenda to have the service run down and then have a private operator move in is fairly obvious..

      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/520262/aratere-ferry-grounding-just-the-latest-problem-to-hit-interislander-s-ageing-fleet

    • SPC 2.3
      22 June 2024 at 2:59 pm

      More information

      They had done maintenance work on gears and steering in the past month.

      Speaking to media at a press conference on Saturday, Roy and KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy confirmed they had upgraded “a number of systems” on Aratere as part of a “detailed maintenance programme” about three weeks ago.

      “We pre-emptively replaced the steering mechanism with a brand new system, we brought in experts from overseas and that was part of our commitment to improving the maintenance and reliability of the ferries."

      Reidy said with the amount of maintenance work that had been done they were “very disappointed”.

      “It's serious that a ship ground itself."

      "We have spend significant money and time recently in upgrading the steering system," he said.

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350319741/interislander-emails-customers-about-aratere-faults-and-fixes-day-it-runs-aground

    • Ad 2.4
      22 June 2024 at 4:20 pm

      The rail system in New Zealand is suffering from even worse underinvestment than the state highway system. Nothing to do with administration, everything to do with starving core network infrastructure of funding for decades. Only need to interrogate the NLTP to figure that out.

  3. joe90 3
    22 June 2024 at 7:55 am

    the CoC personified

  4. PsyclingLeft.Always 4
    22 June 2024 at 8:49 am

    Government ministers have fiercely defended the quality and independence of a review of Kāinga Ora led by Sir Bill English. But that same review suggests hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed savings are unlikely to be made, a conclusion that could leave a hole in the coalition’s books

    https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/06/04/govts-kainga-ora-cuts-unlikely-to-be-met-english-review/

    Hoist by their own petard? Someone probably told them about this !

    Its called the Big Picture you NActFirst numnuts.

    • KJT 4.1
      22 June 2024 at 9:01 am

      "Savings in back office staff" is already showing in education. Tightened criteria for help such as Teacher aids is already apparent.

      Oh well. The increase in kids without hope for their future will reap huge profits, for NACT's privatised prison owners, in years to come.

      • joe90 4.1.1
        22 June 2024 at 9:29 am

        "Savings in back office staff"

        From the no shit Sherlock file; electronic permissions for regional staff to access on-site printers will now be granted by head office.

  5. KJT 5
    22 June 2024 at 8:56 am

    Ships, like any other machinery, have mechanical breakdowns.

    Obviously the older they are, breakdowns are more likely.

    Exacerbated in many cases by the "screw costs down" to increase management bonuses, mentality.

  6. KJT 6
    22 June 2024 at 9:29 am

    The ferry problems, and past problems with infrastructure during the earthquakes and floods highlights the fragility of our transport links.

    Showing the need to support coastal shipping in general. We currently have only two NZ registered container ships. Note we only had one for a time, which was the second ship into Lyttelton, after the navy, during the Christchurch earthquake.

    What happens if freight rates, wars (the one with China that the USA is determined to have for exampl) or natural disasters, removes all but those two from the coast?

    [Wrong e-mail address was entered. Please be more careful next time, thanks – Incognito]

  7. Matiri 7
    22 June 2024 at 10:25 am

    Likely to be livestock trucks on the stranded ferry.

  8. observer 8
    22 June 2024 at 12:34 pm

    Steve Braunias skewers Luxon, although it is increasingly difficult to spot the difference between satire and a real Luxon press conference. They use the same verbatim quotes.

    The secret press conference of the PM (newsroom.co.nz)

    • Bearded Git 8.1
      22 June 2024 at 1:07 pm

      Brilliant. Steve Braunias must love Luxon…the columns almost write themselves. He must be hoping they won't replace him before the 2026 election.

  9. Joe90 9
    22 June 2024 at 2:57 pm

    Probably the best thing you'll read today.

    .

    But we could really use some damn radical candor.

    Because we are governed by imbeciles and thieves and miscreants and degenerates and people who are willing to put up with all that imbecility and thievery and miscreance and degeneracy if it gets them even such a pathetic prize as a temporary seat in the U.S. House of Representatives serving on behalf of the lovely folks who have freely chosen Matt Gaetz, of all bipedal things, as their man in Washington. I don’t know that my own personal soul is worth all that much, but I’d expect more than that in trade.

    https://thedispatch.com/article/it-is-time-for-radical-candor/

  10. SPC 10
    22 June 2024 at 4:32 pm

    John Oliver does an albatross on the medicaid (poverty related – those under 65) system. How the GOP states are pruning the rolls of people eligible to receive it.

    Here it is inability of people to access a primary care provider and lack of dental cover.

  11. joe90 11
    22 June 2024 at 6:33 pm

    Conservative values.

    /

    Some argue that this latest campaign farrago is typical politics – as Tory grandee Sir Charles Walker told the BBC, it’s “good knockabout stuff” – and when it comes to polling day, no one is going to change their vote based on whether a handful of little-known figures stepped to the wrong side of the ethical line. When voters are at the ballot box, the defining question of “what is this person going to do to make myself and my families’ lives richer?” will not be affected by “Betgate”.

    https://archive.li/1W6Va (https://inews.co.uk/opinion/betgate-crossed-appalling-line-3123036)

  12. SPC 12
    22 June 2024 at 9:28 pm

    The weekend on the rectangular field so far.

    A Toulouse 6 foot 8 inch tall player pivots and dips into a tackle and steals a red card out of the referees pocket.

    The Warriors ran aground on the foot of the table Gold Coast.

    The Blues win their first trans Tasman title since the infamous "4 more years" over 2 decades ago.

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