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\nSeveral petrol stations ran out of fuel on Thursday and Friday.
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Quin Tauetau\n<\/p>\n
The Automobile Association (AA) is warning against panic buying or stockpiling fuel, saying large quantities may impact house insurance claims.<\/p>\n
Several Gull, Foodstuffs, and Tasman Fuels stations ran out of petrol and diesel on Thursday and Friday, as the crisis deepened<\/a> in the Middle East.<\/p>\n Finance Minister Nicola Willis on Friday<\/a> told Morning Report the price increases were extremely tough and affecting all New Zealanders.<\/p>\n Willis said she did not want to see a situation where people could not drive to work, and instructed IRD and Treasury to come up with a package that could be implemented with urgency ahead of the Budget.<\/p>\n AA principal policy adviser Terry Collins told RNZ the government had been “very clear” the country had enough fuel.<\/p>\n “Occasionally you’ll see a service station that runs dry. That’s usually because they’re offering a good deal.”<\/p>\n Changes to consumer demand in response to rising prices meant the usual fuel deliveries were not always able to keep up, he said.<\/p>\n \nNicola Willis said she did not want to see a situation where New Zealanders could not drive to work. “We’ve had a rush on some of those service stations, they’ve run dry. It doesn’t mean we’re running out of fuel. It just means that that filling up regime has been interrupted.”<\/p>\n It was dangerous to store large quantities of fuel in residential homes – even in jerry cans, Collins said.<\/p>\n “Even though the cans are suitable for it, the danger that occurs is if you’ve got a large quantity and it’s attributed to some damage or a fire, then you may have some insurance problems.”<\/p>\n Insurance providers would not expect people to have large quantities of fuel at their homes, he said.<\/p>\n “It’s ok to have those cans for your chainsaw, your lawnmower, your motorbike or boat … but large quantities of fuel is just not recommended.”<\/p>\n \nChanges to consumer demand in response to rising prices mean usual fuel deliveries are not always able to keep up. How to save on fuel<\/p>\n Collins said there were two ways to save at the pump: finding the cheapest fuel, and maximising efficiency.<\/p>\n “We have a fuel standard. It’s nearly all the same. You will never notice the impact between different brands.<\/p>\n “Once you’ve got it, it’s how you use it. So simple tips about anticipating traffic, keeping gaps in front of you with the other cars … make sure your tyre pressure is all correct.”<\/p>\n “And generally, if you’re travelling places, put all your trips together this weekend.”<\/p>\n ‘Another nail in the coffin’<\/p>\n Grey Power president Gayle Chambers said she was concerned rising petrol costs could lead to social isolation for older people.<\/p>\n “Many people, they’ll go out for coffee, or go to the likes of Senior Citizens in their car. If the petrol goes up too much more, they’re going to find that they’re going to have to restrict themselves as to where they go and how often they go.<\/p>\n She acknowledged if restrictions were brought in, that would be hard for everyone, but for the elderly it would be “just another nail in the coffin”.<\/p>\n Older people were likely to be worse affected because many were on restricted budgets.<\/p>\n “It makes it pretty hard. It’s mentally hard on people, as well as anything else,” Chambers said.<\/p>\n \nChatham Island council held a meeting yesterday to try to come up with a way to soften the blow for the isolated community. Isolated island communities hit hard<\/p>\n![\"Prime](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4JRITIO_Image_3_jfif.jpeg\")
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\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Samuel Rillstone\n<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4JRIQIL_Selected_photo_jfif.jpeg\")
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\nPhoto: Jimmy Ellingham \/ RNZ\n<\/p>\n![\"Town](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4MUTSKX_copyright_image_228210.jpeg\")
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\nPhoto: Vk2cz \/ CC BY (https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0)\n<\/p>\n