Government looks to cut heavy vehicle regulations as part of fuel response

The latest government data shows New Zealand's fuel stocks have continued to fall, but movements remain within expectations.

The figures, published on Monday but accurate to midday on Wednesday, showed 51.8 days of petrol, 41.3 days of diesel, and 45.7 days of jet fuel.

That includes fuel on six ships within two days of arrival in New Zealand, and another four within three weeks of arrival.

The totals were down the previous update accurate to Sunday 19 April showing 52.2 days, 42.3 days and 47.4 days respectively.

The government said the fluctuations were as expected under normal international shipping, and stocks within New Zealand's exclusive economic zone were as high as they had been since the Iran conflict began.

"Movements remain within expectations and show normal patterns," the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said.

Looser heavy vehicle regulations could be ready within days

Minister for Regulation David Seymour and Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the government was preparing to remove or suspend regulations on heavy vehicles to save fuel.

Four changes were being worked on to be implemented quickly if the government decided to move up to phase 2 on the national fuel plan, and were expected to be ready by the end of April.

If no move up phases was needed, some of the options could also be reworked into more permanent changes to reduce the impact of high fuel prices on the economy.

Seymour said his Red Tape Tipline had received several suggestions, including:

• allowing more weight on some trucks, requiring fewer trips to transport the same amount of freight
• allowing someone with a standard full licence to drive electric utes which currently require a light truck licence
• allowing trucks to move freight in the early morning or late night
• allowing oversize vehicles to make use of some roads they currently cannot including Auckland motorways and toll roads

Seymour said the government was in the process of refining these submissions.

"Being able to have trucks run at off peak times without so much traffic - so they're not stopping and starting and stuck in traffic - could go a long way to improving the efficiency of the delivery of everything from food to vital materials," he said.

"We'd love to be able to present a estimate of how much fuel these four initiatives can save. We haven't been able to calculate that, but we do know that anything we can do that is basically costless, that is temporary and will allow people to save fuel could become vital in a situation where we faced a shortage."

He said the government was being careful about safety, with the Transport Ministry making calculations about road wear and bridge capacity - and the regulations around time of day was more to do with avoiding annoyance to residents.

"We do have a safety first approach, but I think in each case we can say we've either managed the safety risks we need to or there are no safety risks - it's more annoyance risk."

He pushed back on suggestions a lack of restrictions on fuel use made New Zealand look ignorant, at a time when the country's suppliers had done so.

"People are restricting every day because the prices are making them be careful about what they spend... we've been preparing for restrictions if we need them, but also recognising from our experience with Covid if you introduce a whole lot of bureaucracy you just frustrate people and often get them wrong."

He said the amount of crude oil headed to New Zealand's main suppliers South Korea and Singapore was slightly above average this month, and onshore supplies were stable.

Bishop said concerns over weight restrictions were widespread in the freight sector.

"In the short term, even small increases in permitted loads could reduce the number of trips needed, saving time, lowering costs, and reducing fuel use," Bishop said.

"We need to balance that with safety and network impacts, but there are sensible changes we can make that will lift productivity without compromising standards."

Seymour denied the government was considering a move up to phase 2 of the national fuel plan, saying the regulatory moves were only in preparation in case that did happen.

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