New Zealand Mulls Car Restrictions If Fuel Supply Stalls

A fuel tanker passes the Mobil fuel distribution centre in the Melbourne suburb of Yarraville on March 12, 2026 as the demands and prices of petrol and diesel soar due to the Middle East conflict. Global oil prices have climbed dramatically since the war, prompting warnings that high fuel prices could drive inflation above 5 per cent in Australia.   New Zealand officials said Thursday they were considering using decades-old laws restricting vehicle use if fuel supplies dwindled due to the war in the Middle East. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569656851-0"); }); Finance minister Nicola Willis told reporters on Thursday that officials had discussed using legislation introduced to restrict fuel use in the wake of the Iranian revolution in 1979 in response to the crisis. Under those laws, car owners had to nominate one day per week when they would not use their vehicle and faced hefty fines if caught driving. They also allowed the government to authorise the sale of coupons to restrict fuel use and restrict the amount that could be sold. The so-called “carless days” were in effect from July 1979 to May 1980. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569913499-0"); }); The minister’s comments came as oil prices surged back above $100 a barrel on Thursday. Iranian attacks on shipping have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US-Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In New Zealand, which is heavily dependent on imports for its fuel, the average petrol price has increased by nearly 10 percent since the war began, with diesel up more than 20 percent, according to price monitor Gaspy. Willis said the car restrictions would only be needed “if we were seeing genuine disruption to our ability to get fuel”. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587799169-0"); });   READ ALSO: WAR: Australia To Adjust Fuel Quality Standards To Boost Supply Energy Minister Shane Jones said there was about 50 days’ worth of fuel in or on route to New Zealand. National airline Air New Zealand also announced Thursday it had cancelled five percent of its flights for the next two months, mainly on domestic routes, due to increasing jet fuel costs. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587060870-0"); }); AFP Join Our Whatsapp Channel To join: Simply click on the link below & turn on notifications to get the latest updates Subscribe to Our Newsletter In This Article: energy Iran Israel Nzealand us War More Stories WAR: Australia To Adjust Fuel Quality Standards To Boost Supply Mideast War Exposes Europe’s Energy Vulnerability — EU Chief, Macron India Tightens Gas Supplies Over Mideast War /* * * CONFIGURATION VARIABLES: EDIT BEFORE PASTING INTO YOUR WEBPAGE * * / var disqus_shortname = 'channelstelevision'; // Required - Replace example with your forum shortname / * * DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE * * */ (function() { var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type = 'text/javascript'; dsq.async = true; dsq.src = '//' + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/embed.js'; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(dsq); })(); Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/03/12/new-zealand-mulls-car-restrictions-if-fuel-supply-stalls/