Interislander so romantically portrayed by a Lefty Singer Group in glittering catchy advertising, has hit the wall, no make that coast of Queen Charlotte Sound.

When will some statesperson put Interislander out of its misery with a humane act of compassion.

I have recently read a book by a survivor of the Wahine Disaster of April 10th 1968. Author retired veterinary practitioner Peter Jeram was a student at Lincoln College south of Christchurch and was travelling north to Palmerston North for the Easter Tournament as one of the College cricket team on the doomed vessel.
It is a very good read and casts light on how Officialdom even in those days went to great lengths to preserve a nonsensical image of capability.
The official inquiry into the sinking of a vessel considered to be best in class became an exercise in often futile inanity. Oh that someone with the dedication to excellence in discharging duty exhibited by Peter Mahon as a watchdog.

Not much will change as this crumbling nation falling to pieces before our eyes as revealed in yesterdays Pylon falling, cutting electricity to the North and now overnight Kiwirail’s often in strife Spanish built Ferry Aratere goes off course and becomes beached only a short distance from the Picton Terminal said to have resulted from a loss of steering??

Sheesh these appointed Governors of industry selected by ideologues from a governing political party almost always as reward for sustained political activism would struggle to run a bath in Deep Cove under the outfall of the Manapouri power station tunnel.

Throughout history tales abound of ships in strife sending crew down into the bilges to manually move a rudder to maintain steering of a vessel in danger of going side on to the sea, yet this state owned and operated vessel ran aground in calm waters by apparently on evidence gleaned, turning 90 degrees off course.
Yesterdays power outage seems on published evidence to have toppled with apparently undamaged footplates having detached from concrete foundations after securing nuts were removed for “maintenance” procedures!!.

Again in April, this time 1995 a Department of Conservation planned and built viewing platform over a Westland Ravine collapsed plunging some over exuberant Polytech students to their deaths. That was alleged to have occurred in large part because the Bolts to be installed in the structure never made it to placement and the weakened structure with only nails failed.

That was the last time I can recall a Minister resigning over a departmental failure he had zero direct involvement in a subsequent disastrous operational failure. That was the Honourable Dennis Marshall Minister of Conservation in the Bolger Government.

We are claimed to be living in times so much safer with workers in industry and service protected to allow them to return home from work every day. Road cones, stop go for road works, cheese cutter fencing on road sides, scaffolding, hi visibility clothing, mandated safety boots, seat belts, flashing lights, arms legislation, mandated crew numbers, cyclist head protection, cycleways, operational hours limited, speed and loading laws, Stab vests for Police and corrections staff, the list is endless.

Soon to be mandated, cycle clips, compulsory even for persons wearing shorts to thwart leg coverings becoming entangled in the chains of all “E” bikes.

Yet I discern a clear lack of state directed personal responsibility direction, by expectation and/or education. Is the ultimate, everyone wrapped in bubble wrap wearing fluro clothing and attending work in climate controlled secure environments for one hour a week while paid a handsome remuneration by the state.

I spent over 20 years in Lions a service club where electing to set up a project could be offered in direct competition to an existing service provider, particular care was always evident that unless a project could only be offered due to an inability to pay or perform the activity, restraint in competing with an available provider was a first consideration.
Such should apply to government, both central and local, just get out of the way and let a provider provide.
Almost every state department offering commercial activity on a misconception “The Market” cannot solve the issue will end in tears as there is zero incentive for the Bureaucrat to enact commercial principles based on provided money and outrageous expectation, hence the multi billion spend recommended by Kiwirail to upgrade the Interislander service, so correctly canned by the Coalition.

Government should never run a business, cripes just counting the people has not been achieved successfully for years, more than likely Amazon, Google and even “X” have more accurate assessments.