The Taxpayers union has called the Interislander a constant embarrassment.
Barely a week goes by without something going wrong with the Interislander. Even visitors to New Zealand can see that the Government is a poor owner of ferries,” says Taxpayers union executive director Jordan Williams.
Williams was responding to ongoing troubles with KiwiRail’s Kaitaki ferry, and the reported comments of London architect Robert Goldsmith suggesting that the operation be sold.
“”The Interislander should be sold to an expert shipping company. The public would probably get a better service and we wouldn’t have this constant embarrassment in front of international tourists. Best of all, taxpayers wouldn’t continue picking up the tab when things go wrong,” says Williams.
“Even Winston Peters, hardly the champion of privatisation, has called for the Interislander to be sold. For the sake of a better service, we agree with Mr Peters that the time has come.”
Peters called for the Interislander to be sold in an interview on Radio New Zealand on 18 July 2014.
