Maritime Transport Union calls for ‘love’ for Cook Strait ferry staff amid disruptions

The Kaitaki will be out of action for at least another two weeks. File photo / Mark Mitchell

The Rail and Maritime Transport Union is calling for “a little bit of love going both ways” as disgruntled Cook Strait ferry passengers interact with staff amidst numerous cancelled sailings.

The Cook Strait crossings, run by Bluebridge and Interislander, have been thrown into disarray since late January with many of the ferries being struck down with engine issues or other problems.

The resulting cancellations mean thousands of passengers have been left stranded, with some forking out hundreds of dollars for flights and others having to seek medium-term accommodation until another sailing became available over the busy summer schedule.

Many of the passengers have been unable to rebook sailings for weeks due to fully booked services.

But the union has reminded the public the staff on the ferries are also suffering from the disruption, and said the breakdowns were not their fault.

“There’s been a lot of unhappy customers and [staff] have been bending over backwards to try and help those customers, including by putting mattresses in the terminals for people to be able to sleep during the Kaitaki breakdown,” said acting general secretary of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union Todd Valster.

“It’s been very, very disruptive and they’ve just tried to smile and keep the operation going.”

Even Valster has been caught up in the chaos, saying he was catching the ferry home one recent night when the Kaitaki experienced engine problems.

Valster, who was on the Kaiarahi, was pleased to be getting into port early, but ended up waiting in the harbour for three and a half hours with his fellow passengers because the Kaitaki was in the berth they needed to use.

He understood the frustration people were feeling at the multiple disruptions, especially for those who had driven “very long distances” to catch the ferry.

“It sort of seems like there’s been weeks and weeks and weeks of just consistent breakdowns, one ship after the other . . . people don’t necessarily know whether they’re going to get from A to B.

“[Further] down the road when these two new ships turn up and there’s brand new terminals and everything’s running great, that will be fantastic, but in the meantime they’re going to have to try and keep as many boats going as they can.”

Interislander’s last new boat was the Valentine which doesn’t carry passengers and doesn’t run very often, he said.

“These secondhand boats that are bought, they’re not young by any means.”

Interislander’s two new rail-enabled mega ferries are due to arrive in 2025 and 2026.

In the meantime, Valster reminded people the staff on the ferries were “doing their absolute best in a very difficult situation.

“They haven’t caused the breakdown, they’re just trying to make sure that you’re as comfortable as you can be, taking into account all of the circumstances.”

He said a “little bit of love going both ways instead of just one way” would be good.

The union represents ferry staff, including those working at the terminals, in customer service roles, baggage handlers, and also load marshals.