After seven weeks without any change in prices, petrol and diesel rose 3 cents per litre at the end of November. The price of 91 octane petrol rose to $2.15 per litre in the main centres, with diesel climbing to $1.53 per litre at most service stations.

“It was the first increase in fuel prices for three months. Before then it had been the longest time without a price change since May 2012,” says AA PetrolWatch spokesperson Mark Stockdale.

“It’s good for motorists to have such stable prices, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some small changes in commodity prices or exchange rates in that time. Since the last price cut on 4 October, the AA’s monitoring shows the imported cost of fuel has risen by about 3 cents per litre.

“A strong exchange rate and good international supply levels have kept retail prices stable, but it’s not uncommon for prices to rise at this time of year as countries stockpile fuel supplies for the Northern Hemisphere winter,” Mr Stockdale added.

Motorists benefitting from “Gull effect” AA PetrolWatch notes that not all service stations are charging as much as $2.15 per litre for petrol, or $1.53 per litre for diesel.

Data supplied by Gull for the last six months shows that their retail prices are 6.4 cents per litre lower than average, compared to competitor brands in areas where Gull do not operate. Competing service stations in areas where Gull have outlets tend to match Gull’s lower prices.

“That means all motorists in the area benefit from Gull’s lower operating costs and pricing – the ‘Gull effect’ – even if they don’t shop at Gull. This is exactly what the AA expects to see in a competitive market,” AA PetrolWatch spokesperson Mark Stockdale said.

For more information contact:

Mark Stockdale
AA PetrolWatch Spokesperson
New Zealand Automobile Association
T. +64 4 931 9986
M. +64 21 434 097
E. mstockdale@aa.co.nz

The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with over one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay over $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.