22702 (2026). Camilla Belich to the Minister for Rail

22702 (2026). Camilla Belich to the Minister for Rail: Were any relevant unions consulted prior to the announcement of the role reductions being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any; if so, on what date, and were the unions provided with the underlying business case, if one existed, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

Rt Hon Winston Peters: No, as none of the entities for which the Minister for Rail is responsible for are core public service agencies or Crown entities. We did howevver write to all four unions representing union members at KiwiRail advising them that this Government has fully funded the 2027-2030 Rail Network Investment Programme and another year of critical works for the Auckland and Wellington metropolitan networks, and thanking their members for the good work thus far that has seen service reliability, freight volumes, revenue and earnings improve. We have attached to this response a copy of this letter should the Member wish to spread the good news.