Rail Minister Winston Peters has used a speech to regional leaders in Whangārei to champion rail as the backbone of New Zealand’s freight network, arguing that major investments in infrastructure and a rail connection to Northland’s Northport are essential for future economic growth.
Speaking to the Upper North Island Strategic Alliance, Peters said New Zealand must focus on strengthening links between key freight hubs, including Northport, the Port of Tauranga, Lyttelton Port and Port Otago, which he described as critical gateways for international trade.
Peters said rail had undergone a significant turnaround after years of underinvestment, citing rising freight volumes, improved reliability and major government funding commitments. He highlighted more than $1 billion allocated in Budget 2026 for the national rail network, the introduction of thousands of new wagons, and plans to replace KiwiRail’s South Island locomotive fleet with new locomotives from Spain. Peters said rail was now outperforming road freight growth and helping reduce fuel consumption while easing pressure on highways.
A major focus of the speech was the proposed Marsden Point Rail Link, which would connect Northport to the national rail network. Peters argued it was “blindingly obvious” that Northport should have the same rail access as other major ports, but criticised the previous government for committing funding before detailed design work had been completed. He said the coalition government had adopted a new approach by opening the project to market competition, with construction firms invited to develop lower-cost alternatives before final funding decisions are made.
Peters said stronger freight connections between Northland, Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga would require a combination of expanded port capacity, additional rail infrastructure and improved freight routes through the upper North Island. He described rail as the “ballast for growth”, saying an integrated transport system involving rail, roads and coastal shipping would be crucial to supporting exports and long-term economic development.
Northland rail: Thousands upon thousands of concrete sleepers IMPORTED FROM OVERSEAS laying in pile after pile and ALL THE WRONG FKN GAUGE due to sheer mind-numbing incompetence and idiocy from the moronic dipsh*ts “in charge”. The whole rusty-railed system laying wasted and idle for year upon year, covered in weeds and grass that gets constantly sprayed in a huge wind-spread swathe of millions of gallons of toxic big-corporate-profiteering glycophosphates , the whole complete fkn circus of ineptitude costing billions of taxpayers cash all wasted and thrown away for fkn NOTHING…
sick of rats, you are damn right, and following will make you puke:
The whole Marsden Point tank fill is a SMOKESCREEN. Winni, we are not as stupid as you have become,…or as you believe we are.
Apologies for the length needed to expose govt obfuscation:
Marsden Point’s strategic reserve (not even filled yet, 90 million litres…NZ uses 10 mill/day) is NOT part of the commercial supply chain. Under ’emergency’ state security directives, it is strictly ring-fenced and designed for saving Winnie’s and Waspnest comrades’ backside. More to that later.
Now here is your comrade Nicola Willis MBIE/treasury BULLSH*T: MBIE.govt.nz states 13 ‘ships’ on their way with fuel. Hooray! >>>What a treasonous misinformation for the people of New Zealand!!!
MBIE refuses to disclose vessel-level cargo breakdowns, because the gross number is being padded by vessels that do NOT contribute to society’s diesel needs.
Let’s look closer at the mihysterial lie:
At least 3 to 4 of the 13 ships are specialized tankers, carrying clean products completely unrelated to the diesel freight grid. Contribution to the country’s heavy transport diesel need: ZERO!
At least 3 of the 13 ships are domestic coastal distributors, such as the MT Matuku, Kokako, or the Chang Hang coastal feeders. These ships do NOT cross the ocean to bring new fuel into New Zealand’s Economic Zone. They merely park at Marsden Point, suck a trickle of diesel out of the onshore tanks, and steam down to Napier, Lyttelton, or Dunedin to drop it off. To note: our govt public servants DO have accounting backgroud. Shall the People remind you, Winnie and cohorts, that double accounting is FRAUD ?!?!?!
3 of the 13 ships have already unloaded and are on their seaway back, likely not arriving again.
FACT: Only 3 of the 13 ships are fresh bulk diesel carriers (PS Sydney, CL Xunyang, Esteem Endeavor)!
However, lets break these 3 down further and look at reality:
The PS SYDNEY: berthed at Marsden Point on 2 June 2026, completed its discharge and departed 4 June (one of the departed 3). The diesel from this vessel is already factored into the current on-land stock you see right now. It is no longer an “incoming buffer.” It represents the very fuel New Zealand is burning already.
The CL XUNYANG: En route, loaded (10 mill diesel) in Singaproe, 31 May, and is currently transiting through the Indonesian archipelago into the open ocean. Tthis vessel brings less than 24 hours of total national supply into MP. When it lands on June 18, it will be just enough to prime the pipelines for the upper North Island, but leaves ZERO surplus.
ESTEEM ENDEAVOR: en route, the South Island’s temporary rescue). Left Singapore on 2 June. ETA: 20–23 June in Lyttelton, Chch. While 20 million/ 1.9 days sounds miniscule on a national ledger, routing this entire 20 million litres directly to Lyttelton is a delibrate tactical move to protect the South Island. Because the South Island’s localized daily burn rate is a fraction of the North Island’s, this single drop provides roughly 5 to 6 days of regional breathing room for southern freight lines.
But as bad as all that is, it’s not all:
2 or 3 diesel deliveries are govt chartered and will go into the new Marsden Point tanks. Those deliveries are totally ‘masked’ by MBIE secrecy and falsly counted as “supply” for society, as PART OF ALL ARRIVALS included in the MBIE lie of 13 ships. Again: This Marsden Point emergency diesel will be used only partially for Police/army/ ambulance or hospital emergency needs, but very likely will be used in big part for your politicians’ back-side security cover.
The rest portion of the listed shipping traffic includes international bulk carriers or container ships stopping in New Zealand waters exclusively for localized refueling (bunkering) or discharging non-fuel cargo. So, not even ZERO, but these ships are consumers of diesel, not suppliers. They draw down on New Zealand’s onshore stocks to fill their own running tanks before heading out to sea.
On topof all that, the Horrourables do not tell the population about the unusable “dead stock” sluge sumps in all diesel systems, meaning 10-15 % of diesel within any system/tank cannot be used.
So the whole “diesel for the people” that govt is faking is DELIBERATELY CONVOLUTED, OBSCURED, and FALSE. It took me considerable time to clarify the facts, to look behind MBIE’s smokescreen. The BEEHIVE is lying.
Instead of informing the people to enable them to prepare, govt covers its a*se.
And when I read politician Winston’s, Willis’, et alt BS propaganda, I see red. Beehive, spin your soap operas to the herald, RNZ or stuff, who AGAIN are part of a crime sundicate MISLEADING NZ into the ABYSS.
We will never forget!
Glory to DTNZ for allowing such citizens research to be published.
Spread the word.
PLEASE SIGN THIS ONE PETITION THAT IS CURRENTLY OPEN-
https://petitions.parliament.nz/?Keyword=marsden%20point&lang=en
ALSO, PLEASE VOTE FOR THE NEW ZEALAND LOYAL PARTY IN NOVEMBER-
(below is NZ Loyal’s policy for energy & water-
Energy
We will nationalize our energy grid and means of production, reinstating Marsden Point and building a new refinery in the South Island. New Zealand has an abundance of oil and gas, and we will utilize these resources to ensure energy independence.
Water
We will nationalize our water resources, ensuring they are used for the benefit of all and are free from contaminants like fluoride. Water is a fundamental human right, and we will protect it for future generations.
Got 500 paid members yet Kelvyn
Thank you the reminder
Used to be a supporter, but this stuff makes my hair stand up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToDhzYs-2pY
As far as I can see mate , a vote for you is a vote for National, a hard pass from me! This election lets all give National and Labour and their partners a miss!!!! We don’t want our nation turned into a dumping ground for imported labour like the UK or a gene tech laboratory, we don’t want CGT or so called hate speech laws or proxy Digital ID’s!!!!!!!!
As soon as NZ First declares a policy that works the clowns go to work disparaging, dismantling & destroying. Barbara Streisand got it right – Labour & National “send in the clowns,” through their anonymous sources. They are trying to destroy the country but will not succeed.
You need to get off your confirmation bias clownery and accept cold hard truth.
Nobody sent me.
– – – Anomynous – – –
Labour & National “send in the clowns,” through their anonymous sources. They are trying to destroy the country but will not succeed.”
But voting for a party that has and no doubt will go into coalition with them again, makes perfect sense to you? If NZF had already said it will ONLY provide confidence and supply to the likes of a Labour or National minority government on issues it approves of, you might actually have a point. That’s not the case though, is it?
Maybe do some thinking yourself before calling others clowns? Hhmmmmm……
Maybe someone sent YOU.
This is what happens when J3w$ own the MSM and politicians…!
https://rumble.com/v73r2mi-anna-kasparian-no-matter-who-americans-vote-for-israel-gets-what-they-want.html?mref=1wxk5&mc=ehuil
Intelligent decision…
Rail is the spine of our country’s transportation network, saving the constant destruction of our road$$$ by weigh too heavy trucks for which our roading substrates were never designed to carry = billions spent on barely capable maintenance and upkeep.
100% Kiwi Rail.
100% Real Clever.
Yeah, if it was in Kiwi hand,
Subsequent MSG (main stream governments, i.e. the uniparty of either Red or Blue, later with kingmaker NZ1) have systematically neglected rail under the pressure/lobbyinsm/corruption by corporates.
These corporates were either foreign owned with pure short term profit agenda, or state owned (starting with Labour/Lange in 1987, when the New Zealand Railways Department was converted into a State-Owned Enterprise (NZ Rail), nevertheless also with pure short-term for-govt-corp-profit.
If anybody believes that anybody in the beehive would change that spiel…YOU need therapy. How many years did they ALL waste rail?
I have nothing against younger politicians per se, however, I remember a time when I used to deliver wages driving an HQ all around the central N.I. to maintenance crew working at Kawerau’s Tasman pulp & paper mill, Kinleith at Tokoroa, other projects where production was key and I doubt any but older politicians would remember a time when timber mills and glassworks and paper producers actually allowed the country to function. Marsden Point oil refinery had been built and climate change had not been invented. Now we have electric cars, hybrid models and soon to be hydrogen powered along with the traditional internal combustion engine. We also have a lot more pressure to ‘keep up’ with technological developments, but for whose sake? politicians? If you have spare change (ha ha) please buy an ev and clear the backlog, then this so called war can be cancelled.