New Poll: New Zealanders Support Sale Of Interislander

A new Taxpayers’ Union – Curia poll has revealed that a plurality of New Zealanders support selling the Interislander ferry services to a private operator. 43% of respondents supported the sale compared with just 38% opposed. The remaining 19% were unsure.

Voters were asked: “There are two companies that provide passenger and freight services over Cook Strait. The government owned Kiwirail which operates the Interislander ferries and the privately owned StraitNZ which operates the Bluebridge ferries. Would you support or oppose the Government selling the Interislander ferry services to a private operator?”

The full polling report, including demographic breakdowns, can be found here: www.taxpayers.org.nz/poll_interislander_sale

Commenting on the poll, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said:

“Kiwirail has demonstrated that they are too functionally and financially incompetent to run an efficient ferry service. With a private operator already successfully operating a second ferry service without taxpayer backing, there’s no reason that the Interislander should remain in public ownership.

“Selling the Interislander would ensure that the service runs efficiently and reliably with a private owner having strong incentives to keep up with regular maintenance and renewals. It would also mean that taxpayers aren’t on the hook paying for Ministers’ and bureaucrats’ ideological projects that make no financial sense.

“It’s time to take back control from Kiwirail’s wayward autopilot and hand it to market forces that care about running a cost effective service that people trust and are willing to use."

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