6258 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister for Rail

6258 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister for Rail: How does the $200m cut to KiwiRail's budget align with the Government’s stated productivity and regional development objectives, given the documented risk of freight moving from rail to road?

Rt Hon Winston Peters: We have not cut the railways budget. We approved a $1.3 billion second network maintenance and renewal plan commensurate with the first. We challenged KiwiRail to improve its network efficiency as we have funded the procurement of new assets, including upgraded network service depots, tampers, specialist infrastructure wagons and a track evaluation car, which deliver a more efficient network service. These activities are occupying in every region where rail operates through for example local track gangs, asset engineers, contracted engineers, and vegetation control.