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\nLabour leader Chris Hipkins.
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Mark Papalii\n<\/p>\n
It will be 100 days of hiked up fuel prices at the pump even if the conflict in the Middle East was to end today, according to government officials.<\/p>\n
Labour leader Chris Hipkins and finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds were briefed by officials from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the mega-ministry, MBIE, on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
“They indicated to us they’re expecting, and the government is expecting this to go on for months … that the escalated price in fuel is going to go on for months,” Hipkins told media on his way to caucus.<\/p>\n
The officials were asked to brief the Opposition and gave a number of 100 days when asked how long the pain at the pump would continue beyond the conflict ending.<\/p>\n
Hipkins said there were a number of questions officials were unable to answer.<\/p>\n
“They weren’t able to tell us anything about the changes in fuel specifications that they agreed to yesterday, they couldn’t tell us what that actually means in practice, they weren’t able to tell us how much storage there might be available, they weren’t able to tell us what might trigger an increase in the government’s alert level framework,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We’re very much relying on publicly available information.”<\/p>\n
Hipkins used that as his defence for not having an alternative plan<\/a> for what Labour would do to help New Zealanders feeling the pinch, if it were in government.<\/p>\n He ruled out any wage subsidy support for employees but has indicated Labour would go further than the government in other support.<\/p>\n However, when pressed on what that means he was unwilling to give details.<\/p>\n The Prime Minister and Finance Minister Nicola Willis are due to announce<\/a> a “temporary, timely, and targeted” support package at Parliament on Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n Later this week Willis is expected to give an update on the national fuel plan and what the various alert levels would practically mean for New Zealanders.<\/p>\n *RNZ will be streaming the fuel support announcement from 12.30pm and blogging the updates as they happen.<\/p>\n