Stuart Smith: We Need a Drydock, Now

The condition of our infrastructure has reached a critical point where it is significantly affecting our economy – particularly evident with ferry services in the Cook Strait.

Prior to 2002, Interislander was the only road, rail and passenger option on the Cook Strait. The introduction of StraitNZ brought much-needed competition to the route.

Unfortunately, one of Interislander’s ships the Kaitaki has had a significant breakdown and one of StraitNZ’s ships the Feronia is in drydock. [This] has disrupted sailings for weeks, highlighting the vulnerability of our transport links.