The impact of fuel price increases is already being felt by transport companies and these cost pressures will have to be passed onto businesses and consumers.
Transporting New Zealand is closely monitoring updates on fuel prices and fuel security, and will keep members updated with information as it comes to hand.
A special meeting of the Freight Advisory Council will be held this evening to share the latest information with industry bodies and we will report further after that.
There is no shortage of commentary regarding the implications of the Middle East conflict, so we wanted to share the latest information we have from relevant sources including MBIE, MFAT and New Zealand’s fuel importers.
MBIE Fuel Stocks Data
MBIE commentary on fuel stocks (covering onshore and en route levels of petrol, diesel and jet fuel can be found here.
As at midnight of Sunday 1 March 2026, New Zealand has “healthy stock levels, both onshore and en route” including 25 days of diesel stock in country and 29 days of diesel stock on water.
MBIE will be updating these numbers later today.
MFAT commentary on trade and economic implications
Broader updates on trade and economic impacts are available from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.
What the fuel importers are saying:
Z Energy
“Z Energy (Z) is closely monitoring the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East.
At this stage, there are currently no impacts on Z’s ability to supply our customers. However, global energy markets remain highly volatile and, to the extent the situation in the Middle East remains unresolved in the weeks ahead, we can expect to see growing pressure on global fuel supply chains.
We continue to actively monitor the developments in global markets and assess their implications.
As a local company, we are committed to New Zealand customers and prioritising their fuel needs. As part of the Ampol Group, Z benefits from a diversified and resilient supply chain, supported by refining capability, access to global markets, and robust critical infrastructure.”
BP
“We are continuing to monitor the situation and will address any impacts from this as they come up.”
Mobil
“We have convened a regional team to monitor the Middle East situation, and assess the potential impacts on our operations, business and customers. As this is an evolving situation, we will update you when we have more information.”
Help from Transporting New Zealand
We encourage all transport companies to carefully review their costs, the Transporting New Zealand Cost Model Tool and Grant Thorndon Cost Index are available to Transporting New Zealand members, and our national team of advisors is available for support.
Join Cam Bagrie for the latest
TNZ Chair Cameron Bagrie takes a close look at fuel disruption and the economic impact of the Middle East conflict in his weekly Sunday 8pm Update: Straight Shooting.
TNZ members can subscribe for free (with the usual annual fee waived) by emailing info@transporting.nz with Straight Shooting in the subject.
