NEW ZEALAND deputy prime minister and Minister for Rail Winston Peters has announced director appointments for Ferry Holdings Limited – the schedule 4a company charged with negotiating ferry procurement contracts for the two new Cook Strait ferries.
Mr Peters earlier this month (DCN 4 February) launched a new search for a shipbuilder to construct two replacement vessels for KiwiRail’s Interislander Line but has still not revealed whether they will be rail-enabled.
The minister said today [17 February] Ferry Holdings Limited will be responsible for negotiating long-term port agreements on either side of the Cook Strait and ensuring the seamless and integrated delivery of cost-effective replacement Interislander ferries.
“The new chair Chris Mackenzie, deputy chair Heather Simpson, and director Greg Lowe bring substantial and specific expertise for the no-nonsense delivery of cost-effective infrastructure,” he said.
Mr Mackenzie led the negotiations to buy back NZ’s rail assets in the late 2000s and was also independent chair of the Horizontal Infrastructure Governance Group involved in the Christchurch Rebuild.
Ms Simpson, a former chief of staff to the Prime Minister and an economics lecturer brings significant experience in executing complex tasks, Mr Peters said.
Greg Lowe is the former global chief executive of Beca, former managing director of Beca Australia and a qualified marine engineer with previous shipbuilding experience.
“The new board will manage the contractual negotiations with shipyards, ports, and any other party required to deliver safe, reliable and resilient Interislander services into the future – working closely with us as shareholding Ministers.
“The board will undertake the procurement process for new ferries and report back to Ministers for final decisions and similarly engage in the landside development planning and funding agreements with ports with decisions taken by Ministers.
“This won’t be cost-plus infrastructure like Project iReX – it will be a pragmatic appreciation of infrastructure that can continue in service while replacing only what is needed to safely and reliably operate new Interislander ferries,” Mr Peters said.
Cabinet will take decisions on further director appointments soon, the government said.
