Faulty shipments of imported diesel, which have caused significant supply disruptions over the past week, especially throughout the South Island, make it imperative that the Government review the security of fuel supplies into New Zealand.

Supply lines to New Zealand industry have been stretched to the limit, Road Transport Forum Chief Executive Officer, Tony Friedlander said. “The industry appears to be getting on top of the situation now, but the potential for disruption to the New Zealand economy at such a busy time of the year remains a serious concern.

“It is only a few months since New Zealand was in a similarly threatening situation. New Zealand runs on diesel. Without it businesses and transport throughout the country simply grind to a halt.

“The fact that we have another supply-threatening incident within such a short time highlights the need for Government to carry out a detailed review of the security of New Zealand’s fuel supplies. The Government already has a fuel standards review underway. It is just as vital that it acts to make sure we don’t run the risk of simply running out of fuel, as we did last week.

Clearly this is not an isolated event. New Zealand should not have to wait for the tanks to run dry before we acknowledge that we have a potential problem that warrants a thorough investigation.”

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