O'Rourke DenisDENIS O'ROURKE (NZ First): I want to address the annual review as it relates to transport and especially rail. What we saw as a result of the Kaikōura earthquake aftermath is that we actually have a fragile transport system. It also showed of course the value of a good coastal shipping service especially from port to port and the need for a much more resilient railway system. What we actually see from the reports is under-investment in transport and most particularly in New Zealand's railway system. We have often heard about National's RONS—roads of national significance—because National really cares only about roads. That is a forlorn strategy as has been shown overseas because roads alone will not actually fulfil New Zealand's transport needs.Of course we do need a good State roading system—we know that—but rail in New Zealand is grossly underfunded and neglected and that is in terms of both capital expenditure and gross under expenditure in the maintenance of the system as it now is. The reason for that I think is that National sees roads as an essential public service but it only sees railways as just another business whereas New Zealand First would wish to see investment in the full redevelopment of our run-down railway system.We have a policy that we call railways of national importance—RONI instead of RONS—because New Zealand's railway network is an essential public service that must have the quality and capacity to take a much higher proportion of New Zealand's long-haul freight requirements along with of course coastal shipping. We see it as essential that there be a large long-term reinvestment in the railway system. That is essential. It is essential to optimise its role in support of New Zealand's economy and for an efficient cost-effective multi-modal well-integrated transport system and that is something we do not have but should.To this end New Zealand First wants to see the cost of development of new tracks and services of electric reticulation through the whole of the main trunk and of reopening several closed lines to be met not just by the revenue generated by the railway system but by a combination of land transport funding and Crown grants. Also New Zealand First wants to see a review of the structure of New Zealand railways so that we could get full separation of the infrastructure and engineering divisions from the freight and passenger divisions. Infrastructure and engineering must become funded as a public service and freight and passenger services as a business funded partly from charges and partly from the Land Transport Fund. Also other freight businesses should have access to the railway infrastructure to run their own railway services. We would also like to see the Hutt and Hillside facilities reopened so that electric locomotives and wagons could be refurbished and built within New Zealand using New Zealand labour and skills.One of the biggest needs of a redeveloped railways service is the need for more maintenance staff and many more highly-skilled maintenance staff to enable the system we speak of to be upgraded so that it can operate to its full potential. With a modern system to replace the Third World system we now have we are going to need a lot more investment and in particular to reduce travel times between Auckland Wellington Christchurch and Dunedin. That is achievable along with a programme of full electrification which is needed and also a new Cook Strait rail ferry—something we do not now have and that is rather sad.The absence of adequate funding is a serious problem and one of the glaring gaps in the Government's programme of investment. New Zealand First wants to see that rectified and the sooner the better.