Because this is embarrassing, isn’t it?
What have they been doing for the last year?
How do you go a year after cancelling the mega ferries and still have nothing to show for it?
No deal. No ferries. No price tag.
Not even any detail on how much it's costing to break the deal on the mega ferries.
All we’ve got is rumours and if those rumours are right, then we are going to spend more than twice what those two mega ferries were going to cost to buy two smaller ferries.
Those mega ferries were $550m. The medium sized ferries will apparently cost $900m, plus a $300m break fee for the mega ferries.
That’s $1.2b.
We’d have been better off keeping the big boys, onselling them and using the money to buy the little ones.
And don’t expect anything anytime soon. It won't be until the second half of next year before we actually know what’s happening.
Time is of the essence because our existing ferries are running on hopes and prayers and masking tape.
We’ve had one floating without power in the Cook Strait, another run aground on a sandy beach and various other mishaps.
Now, I don’t think the mega ferries were the solution.
But I’m starting to feel like this deal, whatever it is, could be even worse. I’m starting to think this might make the mega ferries look like value for money.
And that's not a great outcome from National and Nicola Willis, who’ve told us they’re great at striking deals and managing money.
Because this does not look like that at all.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show HERE - where this article was sourced.
3 comments:
Naughty Heather with her own rumors and speculation. We were talking Three Billion dollars darlings. We can't have ferries at any cost. F#*k Labour and their uselessness. Let's just see what happens. It's been a big year and good things take time. MC
Have you ever run a substantial business Heather ?
And say it runs into serious financial trouble that might continue for 4 or 5 years.
And you are suddenly told the cost an asset one part of your business wants to purchase is going to be more than 4 times what was budgeted . What what you do Heather ?
And at the same time their is a building you need to put up in Dunedin. The construction hasn't even started and the cost has more than doubled .
These two costs have gone from $2.5 billion to closer to $8 billion. What would you do Heather ?
We heard from the previous boss of all this the other day. He said he'd just go ahead anyway. Spend the $8 billion. Where would you get the money he was asked. He had absolutely no idea, absolutely no comment. But he would just borrow another $8 billion, on top of the $80 billion he and the other little short bloke had previously borrowed. You would just follow suit I presume.
I note the ferries keep going back and forth much as they always have and as no doubt they will continue to do until replacement vessels .
What's the drama here, what's the issue. Actually there is none.
I think you have been listening to the MSM too much Heather or have you become part of it ?
An extra cost will be the fitting of the fire fighting kit to deal with one of Ardern's dearly loved EV cars spontaneously bursting into flames (as they are wont to do) in the middle of the Cook Strait.
And yes, it does happen eg
Freemantle Highway cargo ship fire in the North Sea ,the Felicity Ace – a ship carrying 4000 Volkswagen Group cars to US shores .
These uncontrollable fires were on car carriers, not a mixed cargo ferry.
Something to think about Winston !
I bet it never occurred to Hipkins et al that they were setting up a disaster far worse than the "Wahine"
Doh !
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