Aratere ferry retirement

The story so far

KiwiRail confirmed the Interislander ferry Aratere will retire from Cook Strait by 30 August, after 25 years of service, to prepare Picton for new rail-enabled ferries due in 2029.^{19 May 2025} The retirement may lead to job cuts and reduced passenger and freight capacity.^{19 May 2025} KiwiRail said there will be no considerable ticket price increases, but warned that the loss of the vessel will reduce capacity, so passengers may need to be flexible with travel dates, and transport lobby groups raised concerns about fleet resiliency.^{20 May 2025} The Maritime Union said KiwiRail was proposing to cut 70 jobs in the Aratere's catering and deck departments.^{23 May 2025} In June, passengers were stuck on board for several hours overnight after a propulsion drive fault on a Picton to Wellington sailing, which was resolved around 1am.^{12 Jun 2025}

What's next

The Aratere is due to be retired by the end of August, while the new rail-enabled ferries are not scheduled to arrive until 2029.^{19, 23 May 2025}

Key moments

1. 19 May 2025KiwiRail confirms Aratere will retire by 30 August
2. 20 May 2025KiwiRail denies price gouging, warns of reduced capacity
3. 23 May 2025Maritime Union says 70 catering and deck jobs proposed for cuts
4. 12 Jun 2025Passengers stuck overnight after propulsion drive fault on Picton sailing

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