1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: On the face of it, this coastal shipping decision from 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: James Mega seems like a bit of an odd one 3 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 1: to me. It's a win for truckies. Like it or not. 4 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: We're about to get apparently five hundred extra trucks filled 5 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: with fifteen thousand tons of bulk cement on the road 6 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,600 Speaker 1: each and every month in this country as a result. 7 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: But it's bad for coastal shipping, even though the minister 8 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: says it's actually good for coastal shipping. Let me explain. 9 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: There's a cement company that wants to ship its product 10 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: around the country, but its current ship is old and 11 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: buggered basically, so a new one is coming to the rescue. 12 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:37,280 Speaker 1: But in the meantime they've sorted a temporary ship for 13 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: three years to fill the gap. Well they did until 14 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:45,680 Speaker 1: the Minister James Megha Associate Transport steps in and says 15 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,280 Speaker 1: NAT can't do that. You cannot operate that vessel here 16 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: because it's so foreign flagged ship. Mega says he's simply 17 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 1: following the law. You see, the vast majority of goods 18 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: being moved around the country from local ports are on 19 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: Kiwi boats crew making sure that we have Kiwi jobs 20 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: and keep them all very well and good, except there's 21 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,759 Speaker 1: apparently no alternative for these cement guys. Wholesome is the outfit, 22 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: so they are forced. This is what they say. They 23 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 1: are forced to send everything by road for three years 24 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:20,679 Speaker 1: in the meantime. And here's the bit that's worrying. Aside 25 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: from the fact that we're loading the roads up with 26 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: more heavy trucks that in many places they clearly can't 27 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: handle wholesome reckons, this decision will cost it millions of dollars. 28 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: And once you sink that investment into freight by road, 29 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: there will come a time, they say, when returning to 30 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: shipping becomes unviable, so the cement stays on the road. 31 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: So in this case, three years with no Kiwi workers 32 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: on some boats missing out may turn into forever. And 33 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: that doesn't seem like a very smart decision to me, 34 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: especially at a time when we're trying to boost coastal shipping, 35 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: because newsflash, where long islands surrounded by water with bad roads, 36 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: and when we're basically limping across the Cook Strait for 37 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: the next three years without proper fairies. I mean, you 38 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,679 Speaker 1: could do better on a kayak. Frankly, so I would 39 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: have thought, this makes the whole system a bit weak 40 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: and vulnerable. Would an extra ship at a time like 41 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: this not be a good idea, no matter where it 42 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: comes from and who's manning the decks. For more from 43 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 1: Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks it'd 44 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.