Almost eight months on from scrapping new Cook Strait ferries, National still has no solution.

“The Government’s bungled ferry deal is a complete failure and will cost the country long into the future," Labour’s transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere said.

“Nicola Willis botched this deal from the moment she was in the captain’s chair. It was just the beginning of the poor decision making this Government is becoming famous for.

“If the new ferries are not rail enabled, Nicola Willis, Paul Goldsmith and Simeon Brown will also go down in history as the Ministers who cut the main trunk line in two. This will mean we have more trucks on the road and no ability to move rail freight between our two islands.

“The consequences of these decisions will mean Kiwis pay more, wait years longer for new boats and face increased freight costs.

“What the Government will do with the two ferries which are currently in progress also remains to be seen. The options currently seem to be paying hundreds of millions of dollars in break fees or listing them on Trade Me,” Tangi Utikere said.