Curran Clare: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Curran Clare: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 01 August 2012. Volume:682;Page:4208. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
CLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South) 
: 
 Just before I start I would like to put on the record that on this side of the Chamber there are a few people who have got a bit of experience in transport. Speaking as someone who has got their heavy traffic licence I would love to know who else in the Chamber has got their heavy traffic licence. Hands up those on that side of the Chamber who have got their heavy traffic licence. OK good—pretty good. Hands up anyone who has had anyone in their family who has worked in the railways. That is good. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I seek leave to make a personal explanation about just that. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy) 
: Look— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I have a right to seek leave. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy) 
: You have but the practice of this House is that it is done after a member has finished speaking not to interrupt. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: She called me a liar. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy) 
: Well look the member should raise a point of order about that if that is the case. I never heard that and I am not entering into dialogue with the member. If the member wishes to make a personal statement he should do that when the bell goes. 
CLARE CURRAN 
: Maybe he can talk to me about it later. I would like to agree with Simon Bridges on one thing and that is to let us back the workers. Let us back the workers of KiwiRail—4300. Let us back the workers of KiwiRail. Let us back their skills let us back their jobs let us keep their jobs in New Zealand let us value their jobs and let us make sure that those jobs are valued in our country and that those people have a future. We actually do think that it is worthwhile building rolling stock in this country and not buying dodgy stock from other countries. 
There are a few things that New Zealanders are known for the things that make us as a nation stand out. The first one is Kiwi ingenuity. That is that thing that No. 8 wire thing that thing that makes us creative. We are a nation of resourceful people. We are creative inventors. The other is value for money. We like to get the best out of things and we do not like to spend too much. We like quality and we like things to last. We also like a fair go. All of those values have been undermined by this Government’s decision to put the screws on KiwiRail and to buy cheap. You buy cheap and you get cheap. That is what this Government has done. It is rueing and will be rueing the day that it did. 
This Government’s KiwiRail Turnaround Plan is coming back to bite it. It is turning round to bite it on the bum. Its decision to procure the rolling stock from outside New Zealand is coming back to bite it. The first one—well the one that we heard about a week ago—was the 500 wagons that had to have all of their brake pads replaced. What an outrage. All of those wagons could have been produced in this country. Then this week we hear that the prize locomotives—$75 million worth of locomotives that John Key Steven Joyce and Gerry Brownlee have all praised to the heavens—are a lemon. In fact they are a whole lemon tree. They are plagued by serious faults faults of execution—faults of execution. 
The Chinese have built lots of locos but they have never designed them. We were a test market for them to design those locos. As a result the locos have got serious faults and we are having to pay the price for that. They are costing us around $150 million and the Minister for State Owned Enterprises today could not answer the question in the House as to whether we have paid for the second lot. So maybe the junior transport Minister could get up here tonight and tell us whether this country has paid for that second lot of locos. I think it is pretty important that we know the answer to that question. 
There are some serious questions around this. How long does this warranty last? What is the estimated cost of repairing those locos? What is the loss of revenue to KiwiRail from freight movements while they are under constant repair? And what is the impact on KiwiRail’s freight business? That business is so important to the KiwiRail Turnaround Plan and it is integral to this Government’s turn-round plan. 
I just want to read you a little story about what is happening. The Hillside railway workshops are currently up for sale. Currently KiwiRail Freight wants the ZH wagons modified—