![\"Diesel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4JQHRAI_IMG_1863_jpeg.jpeg\")
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\nDiesel prices on 8th of April.
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Mark Papalii\n<\/p>\n
Motorists using diesel say they have little choice but to wear higher costs as prices reach more than $4 a litre in parts of the country.<\/p>\n
RNZ went out to speak to drivers at petrol stations about diesel becoming the most expensive fuel at the pump as it overtakes 98.<\/p>\n
According to fuel finding app Gaspy, 260 stations in the motu were charging diesel at $3.99 a litre, with some truck stops in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato hitting $4.20 a litre.<\/p>\n
Motorists said that commuters and individuals could switch to petrol cars, public transport or working from home.<\/p>\n
But commercial trucking fleets do not have that flexibility.<\/p>\n
One contractor told RNZ business owners had no choice but to absorb higher diesel costs in contracts agreed months ago before the fuel crisis.<\/p>\n
Another business owner said companies would have to decide whether to pass on the higher cost of diesel to their customers in any new contracts.<\/p>\n
A civil construction company owner said: “We’re definitely feeling the pinch. We’re trying to wear the cost as much as possible. But we are looking at price increases”<\/p>\n
They said that could cause ripple effects across all industries from construction to agriculture.<\/p>\n
One builder told RNZ: “All our suppliers are charging extra on deliveries now.”<\/p>\n
Gaspy spokesperson Mike Newton said dependence on overseas refineries and the lack of alternatives to diesel would likely keep prices high for a while.<\/p>\n
Fuel prices in general rose following the outbreak of war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route.<\/p>\n