Labour managed to remove any combat ability from the Royal NZ Airforce in 2000. The Post reports:The Labour Party is open to the idea of a frigate-less Defence Force, saying it’s yet to take a position on replacing the ageing Anzac-class fleet. O’Connor said Labour hadn’t completely ruled out upgrading the frigates, though it was worth considering the technological advancements – and steep cost. “Money always plays a factor but the commitment to our [Cook Strait] ferries is probably more important than the commitment to the frigates at this point in time.” He is saying that they regard the Cook Strait ferries as more important than our navy, There are private ferry operators such as Bluebridge.