Source: Radio New Zealand
An energy security expert says the list of fuel priority users should be released now. (File photo) RNZ / Quin Tauetau
It has been five weeks since Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she was consulting with industries on who would be included in a list for priority fuel, and an energy security expert says the list needs to be released now.
Earlier this week, Shane Jones told Checkpoint officials were finalising the list but didn’t want to rush it and would confirm a timeline at another time.
The government’s National Fuel Plan, outlined rationing measures that would be taken if supplies started running dry.
Resembling the Covid alert levels, the plan had four ‘phases’. New Zealand was at phase one.
Phase 2 would see homes, businesses and the public sector encouraged to conserve fuel. Phase 3 would see fuel prioritised for life-preserving services and phase 4 would see stricter intervention in fuel distribution.
Nathan Surendren, chairperson of Wise Response Society, told Checkpoint, he wanted to see the list of priority users for fuel in phase 3 released now.
“We need certainty around this… people need to plan.”
So far, fuel supply in New Zealand had been pretty stable, he said, but he believed that could be coming to an end.
He thought the government was being “far too relaxed” about the situation.
“Nicola Willis in that meeting five weeks ago said we’d have a plan within two weeks… it’s three weeks past that deadline which was self-imposed…seems to be an ideological reluctance to signal this is a crisis.”
Surendren said the government was “foot-dragging” and he didn’t understand why.
A statement sent to Checkpoint, from the office of Willis, said there had been more than 1900 submissions by businesses and industry bodies on the plan and the feedback was being incorporated into the plan.
The statement did not say when a list of businesses would be released, but said the government was ready to move into the next phase of the plan if needed.
It said the fuel supply in New Zealand was sufficient and orders were confirmed until the middle of June.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
