Curran Clare: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Curran Clare: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 31 July 2012. Volume:682;Page:4072. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
9. 
CLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South) 
 to the  
Minister of Transport 
: Does he stand by his statement in his press release of 24 May 2012 that “KiwiRail has successfully undertaken a significant investment programme over the previous two years including: New locomotives and wagons and refurbishment of the current locomotive fleet”? 
Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Associate Minister of Transport) 
 on behalf of the Minister of Transport: Yes. 
Clare Curran 
: Did KiwiRail’s decision to procure the DL locomotives and the 500 wagons from China North Rail meet his standard of “successful” given the extraordinary list of systemic design and manufacturing failures revealed in internal KiwiRail documents yesterday; if not what is he going to do about it? 
Hon SIMON BRIDGES 
: Yes it did. Can I say that KiwiRail carried out market evaluations before committing to the Chinese manufacturer. This included looking very carefully at building in New Zealand as an option. 
Clare Curran 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was quite specific. It said: “Did his decision meet his standard of ‘successful’?”. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I thought I heard the Minister say “yes” in answering it. 
Clare Curran 
: Given that the 20 locomotives purchased by Malaysian railways in 2005 from the same Chinese factory were mothballed and unable to be used by 2008 due to severe technical problems is continuing to order locomotives from this company not simply throwing good money after bad and what will he do to ensure that his turn-round plan does not continue to be compromised? 
Hon SIMON BRIDGES 
: No. I share of course the member’s frustration with the situation that is here. The reality is that the manufacturer from China has taken full responsibility for the issues that are present. There is minimal disruption to the operations of KiwiRail and all cost is borne by the manufacturer; none by KiwiRail. 
Clare Curran 
: What does he have to say to the Kiwi workers at Hillside and other New Zealand firms who no longer have jobs or who face losing their jobs in order for KiwiRail to have this supply of faulty locomotives and wagons given that his predecessor said on a  
Close Up  
TV programme in 2010 that both workshops would be extremely busy with a wagon replacement programme—should they head for Australia? 
Hon SIMON BRIDGES 
: Of course I sympathise when anyone loses their job but the fact of the matter is that this Government over the last 3 years has invested $750 million into KiwiRail. We are letting the board and some 4000 workers at KiwiRail get on with the KiwiRail Turnaround Plan to ensure that there are many more jobs at KiwiRail in coming years. 
Brendan Horan 
: Is he aware that significant sections of the rail network are rotting and that the staff who would otherwise be tasked with repairing them are being made redundant? 
Hon SIMON BRIDGES 
: That is why we were spending 750 million additional dollars over the last 3 years. But if the member has specific issues that he wishes to bring to KiwiRail’s and the ministry’s attention I suggest he do that in writing and we will take him seriously. 
Clare Curran 
: I seek leave to table an internal KiwiRail document dated July 2012 titled  
DL Gen 1 Update 
 listing the litany of failures of the locomotives. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 









Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Brendan Horan 
: I seek leave to table a photograph of a section of railway track clearly depicting a row of rotting rail sleepers with external grass growth. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Would it be possible just to indicate the source of the photograph? 
Brendan Horan 
: Yes—KiwiRail staff. 
Hon Members 
: Where is it? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Members are wanting to know whereabouts the photograph was taken. 
Brendan Horan 
: In a very busy section of rail-track— 
Hon Members 
: Where? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Brendan Horan 
: —in the member’s own area of Tauranga. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Brendan Horan 
: I also seek leave to table a photograph of a clearly rotting rail sleeper breaking on the— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Before members describe what is in a document they should say the source of the document. 
Brendan Horan 
: Again from KiwiRail staff. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Brendan Horan 
: From KiwiRail staff I seek to table a photograph of a railway sleeper clearly rotten at the core. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.