14287 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Rail

14287 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Rail: What was the composition of vehicle fleets, if any, in the Minister’s department’s, agencies, crown entities or any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, by fuel type in percentage terms in 2021?

Rt Hon Winston Peters: We have no operational responsibility for the commercial entities for which we are a shareholder. The information requested is therefore not held by the Minister and cannot be sourced within the timeframe required for Written Parliamentary Questions. As such, it is not in the public interest to answer this level of detail. We do note, however, that rail is on average 2.5 times more fuel efficient than road. For example, containerised freight volumes between Auckland and Palmerston North (two cities in the North Island) which shows rail saves the equivalent of 12,000 - 14,000 litres of diesel per trip compared to trucks. This is one reason why we are driving greater use of rail as part of New Zealand's freight mix, as it is especially useful for longer distances and heavy weight freight types. The network is in better condition that it was as we changed the law to fund rail infrastructure like we fund state highways, and even more fuel-efficient locomotives are replacing aged locomotives. We also note that KiwiRail records in its annual reports its fuel and energy consumption as part of its sustainability reporting. This is typically released in September after full year accounts have been audited.