56382 (2025). Tangi Utikere to the Minister for Rail

Written Question

Published date: 17 Dec 2025

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	56382 (2025)
Question asked:	03 Dec 2025
Member asking:	Tangi Utikere
Portfolio:	Minister for Rail
Minister replying:	Rt Hon Winston Peters
Answer received:	11 Dec 2025
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_56382_2025
Document guid:	b4a7b574-c367-49d2-a5b1-68e4b4930157

56382 (2025). Tangi Utikere to the Minister for Rail: What analysis has been completed comparing the projected total cost of the new ferry replacement programme with the total cost of the cancelled iReX project, including break fees and sunk costs, if any?

Rt Hon Winston Peters: $4 billion minus $1.7 billion equals $2.3 billion. If the member wishes to factor in $671 million spent on iReX (of which more than $400 was spent before the 2023 election, and from which only $85 million resulted in any built infrastructure) then that results in a cost avoidance of $1.6 billion.