1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,680 Speaker 1: If you were listening at this time last night, you 2 00:00:01,720 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: would have heard the boss of Blue Bridge telling us 3 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: about his new fairy that's just arrived seven months after 4 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: ordering it. Tell you who also heard that? The competition, 5 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 1: the people buying our new publicly owned fairies, they're not happy. 6 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: Chris mackenzie is the chair of that business, Faerry Holdings Limited. 7 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: Hello Chris, good evening. Okay, what are you unhappy about? 8 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:25,119 Speaker 2: Well, firstly, I'm not happy. First unhappy. Firstly, I'd like 9 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 2: to congratulate Blue Bridge. It's a good thing to have 10 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 2: a new fairy. I think where the discussion is around 11 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 2: and that is comparing Blue Bridges purchasing and ours. If 12 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 2: you go back, the Ministerial Advisory Group, which was three 13 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 2: private sector people, advised government last year that there were 14 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 2: no suitable feries secondhand in the configuration that the government needed. 15 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 2: And just what I mean by that is government provides 16 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 2: capacity all year round that the private sector can't afford. 17 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:08,919 Speaker 2: So there's three thousand. 18 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: Passengers, not because it's it's because of its rail capacity. 19 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 2: It's rail nothing nothing to do with rail capacity. 20 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: Okay, what is it? 21 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 2: Then? It's the Ministry of Advisory Group advised ministers there 22 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:29,320 Speaker 2: was no secondhand ferries in the configuration. And what I 23 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 2: mean by that is the size the passenger capacity that 24 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 2: the government traditionally provides, so that if you look at 25 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 2: the Kaiaay of the Kaikaki, for example, it's thirteen hundred 26 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 2: and fifty passengers, whereas the two Blue Bridges are five 27 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 2: hundred passengers. So the government provides that if you like 28 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 2: that large capacity, that covers your Christmas periods and everything else, 29 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 2: and it wears the cost of carrying all of that 30 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 2: capacity twelve months of the year. 31 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: So basically Olivia, which Bluebridge have just brought in seven months, 32 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 1: is simply not big enough. 33 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 2: It doesn't have the passenger capacity. It has the cars 34 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 2: and the trucks and so forth, it doesn't have that 35 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 2: passenger capacity. And so what the government does is, rather 36 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 2: than having New Zealanders complain that they can't get from 37 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 2: north to south and vice versa over the holiday period 38 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 2: because of the restricted numbers, the government does provide that 39 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:32,800 Speaker 2: larger number of yeah passengers. 40 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,520 Speaker 1: How come though they could decide just before Christmas, let's 41 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 1: buy a fairy and then they've got the thing pulling 42 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,960 Speaker 1: into Wellington Harbor seven months later, and we are what 43 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: seven years down the track and we've got nothing. We 44 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: haven't even we don't even know who's building our fairies. 45 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 2: No, we don't. 46 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: How can we can't move as fast as them? Chris Well? 47 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 2: Hang on. New Zealand Railways purchased both the Kai Teki 48 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 2: and the kaya Rahee second hand within the same time 49 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 2: span as Bluebridge. Did I remember now, right? 50 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: You guys have been together since February. That's March, April, May, 51 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: June July, so even five months and five months and 52 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 1: they had already bought the vessel. It was probably leaving 53 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: Denmark within five months. 54 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 2: No. No, what I'm saying is, if you go back 55 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 2: to when the Araitory lost its propeller, the rail company 56 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 2: was able to buy the Stena Allegra and have it 57 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 2: in New Zealand within the same time span. The government 58 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 2: decided last year it would not go with secondhand theories 59 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 2: and it asked for two new fiories to be built. 60 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 2: Buying a new theory is not a matter of just 61 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 2: going into a shipyard. 62 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: No, I know that, But I mean, surely even the 63 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: negotiations to just like you haven't even decided who you're 64 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: going to buy it from, and it's been five months. 65 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 2: That's donkeys if the Minister of Rail announced on Tuesday 66 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 2: that we had reduced from what was it fifty one 67 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 2: ship guards down to sixth and. 68 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: Those now I'm not impressed by this, Chris, So what 69 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: where's the fairy? We will sign a twenty nine. I 70 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:22,239 Speaker 1: still am not. I tell you that, Chris, go away, 71 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: do me a favor. Go away if you have time. 72 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: I know you're a busy man. Go away and come 73 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:27,840 Speaker 1: back with a better explanation for why you people take 74 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: so long in the public service to do things, why 75 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 1: these guys in the private service can do it so fast. 76 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 1: I appreciate your time. Thank you. That's Chris Mackenzie, Chair 77 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: of Faery Holdings Limited. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, 78 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: listen live to news Talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, 79 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.