2026 Fuel Prices & Security of Supply

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › 2026 Fuel Prices & Security of Supply

1 | ... | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | ... | 64

622 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 528

ID Verified

Trusted

#3471575 18-Mar-2026 21:22

freitasm:

cddt:

ezbee:

Simplest rationing would be to encourage increase in price till demand drops
assuring a longer supply buffer.
Market forces unleashed. Inflation will bite tho.

Transport fuel has one of the least elastic demand curves of any consumer product. Increase the price, and people will continue to buy it while cutting their budget elsewhere. You may shave a few percentage points off demand, but not a significant amount.

At some point, something needs to be said about a government that thinks investing in gas is sensible, and that removing EV subsidies and avoiding EV charger investments are good things.

Almost like they didn't have a vision for the future.

Unless it's the tunnel vision of 8-lane roads that go unused or rapidly fill up from induced demand.

"I regret to say that we of the F.B.I. are powerless to act in cases of oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way obstructed interstate commerce." — J. Edgar Hoover

"Create a society that values material things above all else. Strip it of industry. Raise taxes for the poor and reduce them for the rich and for corporations. Prop up failed financial institutions with public money. Ask for more tax, while vastly reducing public services. Put adverts everywhere, regardless of people's ability to afford the things they advertise. Allow the cost of food and housing to eclipse people's ability to pay for them. Light blue touch paper." — Andrew Maxwell

kangaroo13

87 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 90

#3471583 18-Mar-2026 22:07

ezbee:

Simplest rationing would be to encourage increase in price till demand drops
assuring a longer supply buffer.
Market forces unleashed. Inflation will bite tho.

Grossly unfair though. The rich can keep on keeping on, driving whenever and wherever they want, and the poorer, who may live on the outer fringes of large cities can't even afford to get to work anymore. Essential services (including grocery deliveries) get even more expensive, as they are competing for fuel prices with the riches' discretionary spending ...

Unbriddled free-market economics has some issues.

tstone

405 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 94

#3471608 19-Mar-2026 08:30

Eva888:

By now most are acutely aware of the situation so it’s everyone’s responsibility to act sensibly and not wait for Government to tell us we need to ration. Even if the war stops, there won’t be a return to normal for some time. Our geographical position at the bottom end of the planet makes us a lot more vulnerable and our first world lives can fast become third world.

We collectively need to pull our weight immediately and cut out unnecessary trips because the worst case scenario will be dire and very unpleasant.

And how did that work out during COVID? There'll always be a group of people who have no empathy and do the opposite because of their freedumbs.

How do you define unnecessary? I have no choice on my daily 50 km one-way commute to work but to travel by car. Yes, I can buy an EV if I could afford a new or second hand one. That's something that needs a plan and can't be done at the drop of a hat.

Our guvmint doesn't care about our daily expenses increasing rapidly, think of all the extra revenue this crisis is putting their pockets, not to mention the fuel suppliers...It's a scandal of the highest proportion that the average Kiwi has to bear on their own.

Aucklandjafa

526 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 251

#3471613 19-Mar-2026 09:05

Thank god the govt’s building an import LNG terminal that will, checks notes, rely on overseas LNG 🤦‍♂️

Eva888

2763 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2429

Lifetime subscriber

#3471625 19-Mar-2026 10:08

tstone:

Eva888:

By now most are acutely aware of the situation so it’s everyone’s responsibility to act sensibly and not wait for Government to tell us we need to ration. Even if the war stops, there won’t be a return to normal for some time. Our geographical position at the bottom end of the planet makes us a lot more vulnerable and our first world lives can fast become third world.

We collectively need to pull our weight immediately and cut out unnecessary trips because the worst case scenario will be dire and very unpleasant.

And how did that work out during COVID? There'll always be a group of people who have no empathy and do the opposite because of their freedumbs.

How do you define unnecessary? I have no choice on my daily 50 km one-way commute to work but to travel by car. Yes, I can buy an EV if I could afford a new or second hand one. That's something that needs a plan and can't be done at the drop of a hat.

Our guvmint doesn't care about our daily expenses increasing rapidly, think of all the extra revenue this crisis is putting their pockets, not to mention the fuel suppliers...It's a scandal of the highest proportion that the average Kiwi has to bear on their own.

Unnecessary means just that. Work is necessary but soon there may be no choice.

This time it’s not about the price of petrol rising and if rich or poor can afford it, it’s the fact that supplies are dwindling, and quite simply we wont have any fuel left for essential services and to keep food in the stores and farmers moving their produce. This time, everyone rich or poor will be hurt equally when there is no fuel left.

I don't think a lot of people have grasped the seriousness yet. I had one person yesterday saying that we don’t have a problem in NZ because we have contracts with Singapore…(not the Middle East). I got a 'duh' look when I mentioned that several oil refineries in Singapore, South Korea and China have declared Force Majeure.

The situation is escalating very fast and with no end in sight I would be stocking up on meds and essentials. We are on the verge of getting a taste of how people in war zones that we briefly felt sorry for minutes while watching the news, cope.

kangaroo13

87 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 90

#3471628 19-Mar-2026 10:23

Fair points, except the pain won't be equally shared ....

Eva888:

This time, everyone rich or poor will be hurt equally when there is no fuel left.

Unfortunately - the poor will feel the pain more accutely than the rich, which will have more options to work around the shortages. For example, they tend to live in the suburbs that are better located and with better facilities (such as public transport links), compared to the poorer - who have been driven further out and away from services due to our crazy real-estate market in major cities.

Lenovo

Shop now for Lenovo laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

ezbee

2657 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3099

#3471634 19-Mar-2026 10:32

kangaroo13

Market forces.
Not my preference but seems to be where we are going.

Public transport initiatives/subsidy, a few words from PM promoting car pooling, walk/bike to school programs sponsored, school buses supported again, and many other things others can think of.
Structurally reducing our imported fuel dependance, plus other benefits.
Seems off the table.

One conversation seemed to link supporting programs as inflationary, where market forces?
If you can't beat them.
Where can I get my car converted to LNG. :-)

kangaroo13

87 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 90

#3471636 19-Mar-2026 10:42

tstone:

Our guvmint doesn't care about our daily expenses increasing rapidly, think of all the extra revenue this crisis is putting their pockets, not to mention the fuel suppliers...It's a scandal of the highest proportion that the average Kiwi has to bear on their own.

There may be some in government with some empathy, but not our current acting PM. Interviewed in RNZ yesterday, and asked about possible future measures to deal with limited fuel supplies/escalating costs, he took the normal path of unloading on the previous mob, and blaming the "cost-of-living crisis" on them. Arguably, the current dramatic escalation of fuel and related costs has nothing to do with our government - past or present - and it needs a response from our current mob, not more winging about what the last mob did or didn't do. But you can't expect any empathy from Seymour toward the average punter in the street dealing with the reality here and now of escalating fuel prices.

(Of course, as a long term issue, the current mob are moving in the opposite direction to what's needed in terms of structural changes to make us more energy independent).

Wheelbarrow01

1784 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2638

Trusted

Chorus

#3471637 19-Mar-2026 10:46

All I know is I chose a spectacularly bad time to sell my Corolla (circa 24 hours before the war started). This was my cheap town run-around car that I used most of the time. My intent was to replace it with an even cheaper-to-run hybrid but the one I had my eye on has since sold.

At present my personal mobility choices are between a V8 diesel Touareg and a V8 petrol Holden. As a result, I WFH as much as I am allowed to (currently 2 days per week) and am trying to limit other travel as much as possible. The Touareg is surprisingly frugal on the open road, but it's not so great around town, and pretty terrible on short trips when it doesn't get a chance to warm up its 10 litre oil capacity.

10 days from now, my wife and I will be travelling to the USA for a wedding/holiday for 3 weeks. Several things have us questioning whether to go or not but at this stage there is no refundable way of cancelling so we will have to make the best of it. At this stage I'm counting on Texas having plenty of fuel at least.

But it will be very interesting to see the landscape/situation when we return to NZ in mid-late April - at least we live within walking distance of the airport if it comes to that I guess 😅

HarmLessSolutions

1230 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 812

Subscriber

#3471638 19-Mar-2026 10:50

kangaroo13:

tstone:

Our guvmint doesn't care about our daily expenses increasing rapidly, think of all the extra revenue this crisis is putting their pockets, not to mention the fuel suppliers...It's a scandal of the highest proportion that the average Kiwi has to bear on their own.

There may be some in government with some empathy, but not our current acting PM. Interviewed in RNZ yesterday, and asked about possible future measures to deal with limited fuel supplies/escalating costs, he took the normal path of unloading on the previous mob, and blaming the "cost-of-living crisis" on them. Arguably, the current dramatic escalation of fuel and related costs has nothing to do with our government - past or present - and it needs a response from our current mob, not more winging about what the last mob did or didn't do. But you can't expect any empathy from Seymour toward the average punter in the street dealing with the reality here and now of escalating fuel prices.

(Of course, as a long term issue, the current mob are moving in the opposite direction to what's needed in terms of structural changes to make us more energy independent).

What we're seeing here is a government floundering badly in the face of a serious crisis. The same seriousness of numerous crises that our previous government navigated through successfully with policies that the coalition are now rubbishing. But at least the country rode out those crises without falling off a cliff. I'm not so sure that our current government are even aware of the cliff we're heading towards.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

kangaroo13

87 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 90

#3471639 19-Mar-2026 10:50

Wheelbarrow01:

At present my personal mobility choices are between a V8 diesel Touareg and a V8 petrol Holden.

Have you considered an e-bike?

Apple TV

Stream your favourite shows now on Apple TV (affiliate link).

HarmLessSolutions

1230 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 812

Subscriber

#3471642 19-Mar-2026 10:57

Wheelbarrow01:

But it will be very interesting to see the landscape/situation when we return to NZ in mid-late April - at least we live within walking distance of the airport if it comes to that I guess 😅

Chatting with a friend who lives in Aussie but has been in New Plymouth recently to supervise rental property maintenance. His flight to AKL has been cancelled by AirNZ and there are no rental cars available to drive to AKL due I assume to others caught in the same trap.

We're booked to travel internationally in May/June but we're monitoring the situation closely and will curtail or cancel our travel as required by the situation as things worsen. At least we can drive our EV to Auckland to catch our international flight irrespective of fuel restrictions but do we really want to head off across the world if parts of it are still 'on fire'?

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

mudguard

2327 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1250

#3471644 19-Mar-2026 11:03

tstone:

How do you define unnecessary? I have no choice on my daily 50 km one-way commute to work but to travel by car. Yes, I can buy an EV if I could afford a new or second hand one. That's something that needs a plan and can't be done at the drop of a hat.

Having changed jobs recently and staring a similar commute in the face was daunting. To be honest it was less of a cost issue, but a time issue (as for me it could be 2-3 hours per day in the car).

But there's no getting around 100kms per day, that's almost two services per year, tyres every second on top of fuel. I am sympathetic.

jonb

1796 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 545

Trusted

#3471645 19-Mar-2026 11:10

I'm also leaving late May for a month in UK. Not worried about travelling via already booked Singapore Airlines (same ticket now costs $5000 compared to $2700). I do see a lack of jet fuel from the Asian refineries a possibility by that point. Outbound is via Sydney, should be enough trans-tasman capacity to get there at least..

mudguard

2327 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1250

#3471648 19-Mar-2026 11:24

kangaroo13:

Wheelbarrow01:

At present my personal mobility choices are between a V8 diesel Touareg and a V8 petrol Holden.

Have you considered an e-bike?

An ebike really depends on the length of the commute. A friend does about 40km per day on hers, but that's all up. She used to do it unassisted for about a decade!!

1 | ... | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | ... | 64