Maritime Union of New Zealand

Ports of Auckland must remain in public hands

March 11, 2009

The Maritime Union of New Zealand says that any proposal to privatize the Ports of Auckland would create a “perfect storm of opposition.”

Maritime Union Local 13 President Denis Carlisle says those pushing the plan were people out of time.

“There is obviously a faction out there who want to bring back port privatization plans from the dead.”

Mr Carlisle says that the privatization strategy with the Ports of Auckland failed in the 1990s due to mass public opposition and recent attempts to part-privatize the Ports of Lyttelton had also ended in failure.

Roading the wrong focus for New Zealand infrastructure

February 11, 2009

New Zealand’s two leading transport unions say that pouring public money only into roading and ignoring other transport infrastructure is a mistake.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand, representing seafarers and waterfront workers,and the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, representing rail and port workers, are concerned that economic stimulus plans focus transport investment exclusively on roading.

The transport unions say that while the Government is correct in investing in infrastructure as a stimulus for the economy, it’s sole focus on investing in roads is wrong.