Come on, this is the second time this year that this plane has broken down on Chris Luxon, and if he keeps on insisting on using these old girls, it's definitely not going to be the last time.
I reckon Al Gillespie made the best argument today for why we should have a plane that works - rather than flying the Prime Minister around the place commercially.
His argument is: When our Prime Minister turns up in another country, it's generally because we want something from that country, right? Either we want to trade with them, increase trade or we want them to do what we want them to do politically. So, we're there to impress them and we have to impress them, which is the whole point of a trip like this, right? You go on a trip like this: everybody has to dress up in their best suits, look like they mean business. The Prime Minister collects a group of smart and powerful people to impress the hosts. Bring the media along to look like he's popular and a big deal. And, you arrive on your own plane. That's part of the thing, right? It's part of the whole charade.Because what you want is countries like Japan to look at us arrive and go: “Ballers.” Ballers with influence in the South Pacific. You don't want them to look at us and go. “Oh, it's that povo country next to Australia, again.” No one wants to listen to that country, but you look like a baller in the South Pacific. Suddenly people want to spend time with you.
You gotta look like you’re meaning business. In which case you turn up in your limo, you don't turn up in your taxi. Particularly, at a time when this part of the world is contested, and a show of strength will go a long way.
Now, even if that doesn't convince you, even if you do not care for diplomacy or trade. Economically, we would be better off buying a couple of new planes. I saw a quote for a Boeing similar to the ones that we fly. I mean, it will be used, but it's sitting somewhere with 30 years flying still left in it and it's sitting somewhere around $35-40 million. Sound like a lot to you? So you're gonna be spending $70-80 million to buy a couple of those planes.
The planes that we are flying at the moment that keep breaking down cost us $70 million in maintenance - just in the last two years. That's two new planes right there. Every year that we keep on flying these old birds, we're wasting the money. So every single year that we continue to fly them from here on in, that's a new plane flushed down the toilet. Because we insist on being povos. So we just need to stop doing this. Stop being cheap. Stop trying to sweat the last bit of life out of these planes - which is now becoming more expensive than just buying new ones. Stop pretending that we can fly the Prime Minister commercially. Just buy two new planes.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show HERE - where this article was sourced.
7 comments:
Just fly commercial.
Shh. Tori Whanau will be wanting a new plane next, for her next ratepayers funded junket to China. She could even take a kapi haka group with her like Luxon. It's the only time she actually thinks about Wellington businesses.
Much is made of the age of the planes but the Hercules date from the 60s. Compared with commercial planes scheduled to avoid time on the ground accumulated use must be very moderate.
I appreciate that current reporters have very little skills beyond the promotion of pro maori attitudes but a large proportion of the population are technically minded. Whether it is straits ferry losing propeller, broken rails at Britomart, worn rails throughout Auckland, the downtown lifting bridge etc etc the public are fed next to nothing. What did the fuses protect? The pilot's cigar lighter? The toilet flush? The brakes? The wheel lowering gear?
presuambly some component has failed.
Right on Heather. This embarrassing farce must end. Buy two good second-hand ones. It's a buyers' market.
The US has Airforce One, we have Airforce None
Has Luxon really taken a kapa haka group? What folly. We need to convince the Chinese we are an advanced food producer with the latest high tech standards of quality control. Not a bunch of stone age primitives whose main contribution to food safety is not sitting on tables in a grass skirt sans Jockeys.
Can I add my "two pennys worth of comment".
New Zealand's Military purchasing power is in the hands of The Ministry of Defence. No doubt all 3 Arms calculate annual budgets and go to the MOD with, this "is our wish list, the ones at the top are urgent, middle least, lower need sometime in the future".
Helen Clark had an excellent approach to NZ Military -"I don't really care what you want - answer No."
The other problem is money - do we really have a cash reserve to build - our - Navy struggles with current fleet - why not ask America to lease some of their surplus Naval Fleet to us;
- Army is now starting to work with new Bushmaster vehicles, but the LAV's will be soon approaching 'end of life cycle', what is the replacement vehicle?,
- the Airforce could have 'pushed' (long ago) for an up dated passenger aircraft - they could have selected plenty from the "Boneyards" - in America - complete with spares. The length of time it has taken to acquire upgraded - Maritime & Hercules aircraft shows we "are to slow to upgrade".
Note - we are now in a "selection mode for upgrade of Naval helicopters", so when does "the life span of the RNZAF NH90's fleet end?
We need to also establish a 'buying regime', not using either Trades of goods and/or acquiring on the basis as part of a Trade Deal, to acquire military equipment.
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