Government sinks Interislander project after $1.5b blowout

Finance minister Nicola Willis discusses rejecting the KiwiRail funding request. (Image: BusinessDesk)

Wed, 13 Dec 2023

The Interislander replacement project is dead in the water after the new government declined a $1.47 billion funding request from KiwiRail.Finance minister Nicola Willis said Wednesday the KiwiRail board had told her that, as a result of the government decision, it would now oversee the wind down of the project and review its plans for the Cook Strait connection.The frailty of the connection, essentially an extension of State Highway 1, has been highlighted in recent years by a number of breakdowns, including a ferry issuing an SOS after losing...

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