30346 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister for Rail

30346 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister for Rail: What is the current total estimated cost of the Cook Strait ferry replacement programme, broken down by ships, Picton infrastructure, Wellington infrastructure, and programme management and contingency?

Rt Hon Winston Peters: $1.7 billion is the upper limit of costs to be met by the Government for assets the taxpayer will own. In November 2025 we released a breakdown as follows: • Ship contracts: $596 million • All Picton works: $531 million • All Wellington works: $325 million • Programme management and total contingencies: $415 million We also stated that the overall cost of the programme is currently estimated at $1.86 billion but less than $2 billion, of which the taxpayer contribution will be a maximum of $1.704 billion. Since then, Port Marlborough’s contribution has been confirmed as $110 million and we will shortly update the figures to account for finalised agreements between Ferry Holdings and CentrePort, Port Marlborough and KiwiRail. The taxpayer contribution will not change.