The Government has released the latest fuel stock figures as it moves to a twice-weekly model of updating New Zealand on the supply situation in light of the Middle East conflict and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The update, accurate to March 18, shows New Zealand had 49.9 days’ worth of petrol either in-country or on-water, 45.5 days of diesel and 44.7 days of jet fuel. A further eight shipments were expected to arrive by April 1. Of those, seven were expected between March 19 and 25. They carried 20 days of petrol, 16 of diesel and 12 of jet fuel. An additional vessel was scheduled for between March 26 and April 1. That, however, carried no petrol, four days of diesel and 10 days of jet fuel. “This data does not include shipments more than 2 weeks away, including cargoes already loaded, currently loading or planned,” the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said. That compares to the previous update, which was for March 15, that showed New Zealand had 51.3 days’ worth of petrol either in-country or on-water, 47.1 days of diesel and 49 days of jet fuel. Eleven shipments were expected to arrive by March 29. In a post on X ahead of a Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he would front a press conference alongside Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones later today with the latest update. That is expected at 4pm. Willis said this morning that she expected the exact number of days of fuel stock to jump around slightly but that New Zealand continued to have ample stock both in-country and on the way. On Sunday, it was reported that six oil ships expected to head to Australia from various Asian nations had been deferred or cancelled in recent days. For context, Australia receives about eight shipments of oil per month on average, according to the Guardian. Asked this morning whether she had received any briefings indicating a similar situation for New Zealand, Willis said that hadn’t happened to any vessels coming here. “But that is one of the things that we are watching for that would be a sign that we might have future supply disruptions,” she said, acknowledging it was a small proportion of the overall shipments Australia receives. “Some of those are deferred rather than cancelled, so they’re somewhat delayed. “What we can expect is with the crunch that’s on with the Strait of Hormuz, the extra tankers that are around other ports in the world, that there may be delays in shipments, and that shouldn’t always be taken as a sign that there will be supply shortages, but that we can expect some delays in the supply chain.” Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the number of days' worth of fuel stock New Zealand has will fluctuate. Photo / Mark Mitchell The Government has the National Fuel Plan, which lays out potential measures that could be taken should there be a larger impact on New Zealand’s supply of fuel. New Zealand is currently at Level 1, which primarily involves the Government co-ordinating with industry to limit any potential disruption. Willis said New Zealanders were already voluntarily taking action to reduce their own travel, including carpooling or taking public transport. “I just note that Kiwis are making those choices even without me telling them to.” She acknowledged some petrol stations had experienced high demand and some were seeing their stock dwindle more quickly, depending on how competitive their prices were. “The fuel companies are ready to make sure that they can be topped up again. If a station runs dry, it can be topped up. “Ultimately, New Zealanders are making their own decisions about when they fill their tanks, but it doesn’t have an overall impact on the supply of fuel available in New Zealand.” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand was preparing for the worst-case scenario in fuel stocks and supply. Photo / Michael Craig Last week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the Government was preparing for the...