Talks behind closed doors

Press, 5 November 1984, Page 4

Talks behind closed doors

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

Discussion of the BoozAllen report on the problems and future of the New Zealand Railways was held behind closed doors at a Railways summit conference.

The conference broke up into groups to consider the report and to discuss reactions to it.

These groups met “in committee” because of what the Minister of Railways, Mr Prebble, described as “commercially sensitive” material in it. The chairman of the Railways Corporation, Mr Lyn Papps, said that many of the complex issues involved in the future of Railways were “ingrained in the politics and culture” of New Zealand. “We found that our service was not seen as ‘postive’ by many customers and the public,” he said. “We found a formidable state of affairs with our current and projected deficits.”

• Hiring the firm of BoozAllen as consultants had not been, as some had seen it, a move to hire “hatchet men who would provide a report to be used to hack and slash within the Railways.” The Booz-Allen report could not be regarded as “holy writ,” Mr Papps said. The corporation was free to adopt or reject options in the report as it saw fit. The conference heard a summary of the findings and options in the report from’ the senior vice-presi-dent of Booz-Allen, Mr Charles Hoppe.