Editorial: Government must make a call on the future of New Zealand’s two ageing 757 NZDF planes

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s international travel plans were waylaid after a minor breakdown on an NZDF 757 aircraft in Papua New Guinea.

EDITORIAL

This Government has made some tough fiscal calls since taking over the management of New Zealand and its finances.

It has cut the Māori Health Authority, Matariki funding has been slashed, the public service has been given a number-one haircut and all ministries have been told to further tighten their belts.

But the Government is going to have to spend taxpayers’ money, this time on replacing the two New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) 757 planes that break down at the most inopportune times, like when Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and a group of trade delegates from New Zealand were heading to Japan during the weekend.

The latest breakdown of the 757 resulted in Luxon leaving his trade delegation, and journalists covering the trip, behind in Papua New Guinea, where the plane had landed to refuel on its way to Japan.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meeting Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape in Port Moresby.

It was supposed to be an hour-long stopover, but turned into an overnight stay for everyone but Luxon. The PM caught a commercial flight to Tokyo via Hong Kong.

The issue this time with the plane started with a blown fuse, and ended with the plane needing to be flown around, without passengers, to drain it of fuel to reduce its weight.

The delegation later boarded the 757 and flew to Brisbane at low altitude and will catch up with Luxon – a day late.

The Auckland to Tokyo flight, carrying other passengers, was to be diverted to Brisbane to collect the group.

Defence Minister Judith Collins told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking the consistent flight issues were “embarrassing”.

This is the second time Luxon has been forced to switch to a commercial flight since he became Prime Minister.

New Zealand has two Boeing 757-200 jets, which are used by the NZDF and political leaders on official duties. The problem is they are now more than 30 years old and well past their use-by date.

A business delegation, a kapa haka group, Government officials, the Trade Minister and media leaving Papua New Guinea for Brisbane on the NZDF 757. Photo / Jenée Tibshraeny

Prior to the NZDF purchasing the two planes in 2003, they were used in a commercial capacity for a decade and the decision to buy them was by the Defence Minister at the time, Labour’s Mark Burton, for about $200 million, plus costs for upgrades and modifications.

Those planes have outlived their lifespan, and no amount of No 8 wire or masking tape can fix them. It will cost the taxpayers millions to replace them, and no doubt many will criticise any Government which intends to spend a bunch of cash, when the country can least afford it.

And that’s the message we have been told constantly.

“No Prime Minister wants to spend a lot of money on something deemed as ‘nice to have’,” Collins said.

But the longer this can is kicked down the road, the more money it will eventually cost to find a suitable outcome.