Transport

The government has said the timing is not related to the recent grounding of the state-owned enterprise's ferry Aratere.

Interislander says the ferry Aratere will be brought back into port today while an investigation into the stranding continues.

The Aratere grounding shows the fragility of the link between the North and South islands, Transporting NZ says.

The Aratere has been refloated - but when it's back in Picton can't move again until it gets the all-clear from investigators.

The Aratere is back on the water after a night-time refloating operation.

People have been turning out in Picton to get a glimpse of the stranded Aratere, which is visible from parts of the seaside town.

The grounding of the Aratere ferry is a wake-up call for the coalition government to invest in new vessels and infrastructure, critics say.

The Interislander ferry only recently underwent wet dock maintenance, which included the replacement of its steering system.

Nadine Taylor says the grounding of the Aratere near Picton has raised questions about how KiwiRail is looking after its Interislander ferries.

The government was "highly unimpressed" with KiwiRail's ferry maintenance standards, Simeon Brown said earlier this week.

Interislander's three ferries were all built in the 1990s and have been hit by mechanical problems in recent years.

The agency will soon need to count up what it spends on an "infestation" of road cones and temporary traffic management.

Simeon Brown also announced the roll-out of contactless debit and credit card payments for use on public transport, starting this year.

A communication breakdown led to the derailment of a KiwiRail train during bad weather, an investigation has found. Audio