2. Question No. 2—Energy and ResourcesHELEN WHITE (Labour) to the Minister of Energy and ResourcesQuestion No. 2—Energy and Resources2. HELEN WHITE (Labour) to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What action is the Government taking to decarbonise Auckland's harbour ferries?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS (Minister of Energy and Resources): The Government recently announced a $27 million investment for two new fully electric ferries for commuters and sightseers to travel on. Auckland Transport will trial across various major inner-and mid-harbour services once they launch in 2024. The ferries will have a 200-person capacity space for bikes a top speed of 25 knots and a range of 40 kilometres. Two electric fast ferries and associated wharf infrastructure will be built in Aotearoa New Zealand by EV Maritime and McMullen and Wing.Helen White: What will be the impact of this project?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: The current ferries operating in Auckland contribute about 20 percent of Auckland's public transport emissions. These electric ferries are the beginning of dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions with each ferry displacing approximately a thousand tonnes of carbon emissions annually. This project will also be a major boost to the rapidly developing maritime clean technology sector and further upskill those working in the sector—for example propulsion control technologies from Wigram-based company HamiltonJet will allow the boats to operate at higher speeds while using less energy. This project is a boost for our climate goals and our economy which is especially vital as we continue our economic recovery from COVID-19.Helen White: How is the Government funding enabling this project?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Twenty-seven million dollars of grant funding was committed by central government. This funding will directly cover approximately 75 percent of the costs of constructing the two electric ferries. The remainder is covered by Auckland Transport but without the Government's cornerstone investment here these ferries would not have been in service as quickly as intended.Chlöe Swarbrick: Does the Minister agree that incorporating the Fullers' Waiheke route into the public transport operating model could help to accelerate decarbonisation efforts?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: That is not a question for the Minister of Energy and Resources.Chlöe Swarbrick: Point of order Mr Speaker. This is of course related to the fact that Auckland Transport in the Regional Land Transport Plan the public transport operating model currently excludes only two routes in the whole of the country that are aligned with regional land transport. It is very—DEPUTY SPEAKER: So what's your point—what's your point of order?Chlöe Swarbrick: The point of order is that the Minister was involved in negotiating the way that this would be rolled out—DEPUTY SPEAKER: No the answer is that the Minister isn't responsible.Chris Bishop: Was the Wellington Electric Boat Building Company which has just built the Southern Hemisphere's first electric ferry operating in Wellington allowed to bid for the contract that the Minister has just announced last week has been awarded in Auckland?Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Ministers were not involved in questions of procurement or bidding as should be the case.Chris Bishop: Point of order. That doesn't actually address the question. It just says the Minister's not responsible for procurement. That's true but she is responsible to the House for the procurement decisions of her officials.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'll get you to ask the question again thank you.Chris Bishop: Was the Wellington Electric Boat Building Company which is operating the Southern Hemisphere's first ever electric ferry right now across Wellington Harbour to Eastbourne allowed to bid for the contract that the Minister has announced to the tune of $27 million for Auckland?DEPUTY SPEAKER: In so far as it relates to the primary question the Minister may answer.Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: Thank you Mr Speaker. As Ministers are not involved in procurement or bidding I invite the member to put that question in writing and I'll happily ask officials to finish the answer.