56387 (2025). Tangi Utikere to the Minister for Rail

56387 (2025). Tangi Utikere to the Minister for Rail: What is the current total estimated cost for the Government’s new Interislander ferry replacement programme, as at 4 December 2025, given that officials have stated the final cost of the new vessels will not be known until the final bill is received?

Rt Hon Winston Peters: The ferries have been procured through a fixed price contract of $596 million for two ships. Infrastructure works are $856 million and programme management and total contingencies are $415 million. As with all large infrastructure projects, costs are estimates at initial stages as design develops. That is why cost contingencies are used to mitigate uncertainty and risk is reflected in the overall programme cost estimate of $1,867 million.