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Posted by Dale Crisp
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16 July, 2026
DESPITE public dismissals of the idea New Zealand deputy PM Winton Peters, with ministerial responsibility for the Cook Strait rail/ro-pax replacement program, sought private advice about extra tonnage pending the 2029 delivery of the new ships.
According to a letter released last week to the Labour Opposition under the Official Information Act, Mr Peters, who is also Rail Minister, asked KiwiRail to assess the possibility of obtaining an extra Interislander ferry, given the fragility of the remaining vessels Kaiārahi and Kaitaki and their requirement to drydock overseas for six to eight weeks at a time.
The NZ Herald said Mr Peters’ request came only two weeks after publicly proclaiming “it would not make sense” to seek another ship. The request followed freight customers raising concerns over the reliability of the service, given problems that put Kaiārahi out of action. Shippers wanted a contingency plan.
Labour said the letter showed the government was quietly preparing a backup plan, while Peters insisted there was “nothing wrong with being ready for anything”, the Herald reported.
“It would not make sense to access a spare vessel for short-term disruptions,” Mr Peters said in a statement on 12 March, noting disruption at the time was only planned to be for a few weeks, unlike the months of disruption years earlier.
"But the letter to KiwiRail, dated 24 March, sought “a constant market assessment of additional tonnage options for the Interislander.
“Interislander customers expressed their concerns directly to us and through the road transport lobby Transporting New Zealand, following the recent Kaiārahi disruption,” Mr Peters wrote.
He asked that KiwiRail provide an outline of capital and operating costs of a potential additional vessel.
“We are aware of freight-only vessels on the market in Australia and that the sister ship to Kaiārahi is also on the market."
The time of the March activity coincides with rumours reaching DCN that “NZ interests” were making inquiries about TT Line’s Spirit of Tasmania I and II, due to be replaced and thus available in October this year. We were unable to verify the speculation.
Separately it has been revealed Interislander passengers will be obliged to use a temporary terminal in Wellington for three years, during the redevelopment of existing facilities to suit the new vessels.
CentrePort Wellington has lodged a resource consent application with Wellington City Council to begin earthworks for the project.
