March 27, 2026
New Zealand has about 49 days of fuel available, with officials stressing supply remains normal despite a major update to how stock levels are reported.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has refreshed its public data to give a clearer, more complete picture of fuel supply — including shipments still weeks away from arriving.
As of 11.59pm on March 22, fuel companies reported six ships either unloading or moving fuel between New Zealand ports, carrying the equivalent of 19.8 days of petrol, 11.6 days of diesel and 11.7 days of jet fuel.
A further seven ships at sea are carrying around 42.6 days’ worth of fuel and are expected to arrive over the next two to three weeks.
In total, that equates to about 49 days of fuel supply — including roughly 21 days stored on land and another 28 days either being unloaded or en route.
MBIE said the updated figures do not reflect a sudden increase in fuel stocks, but instead provide a clearer view of what is already in the system.
“Fuel stocks naturally rise and fall each week as fuel is used and new shipments arrive,” the ministry said.
“Current fuel levels are broadly in line with normal levels before recent global disruptions, and fuel supply remains normal.”
The update adds new detail on the location and status of fuel shipments, including vessels that have left overseas ports but are still more than two weeks from New Zealand.
Officials said there are no concerns about future fuel shipments, with fuel companies continuing to report stock and shipping data twice a week.
The data is published on the MBIE website every Monday and Wednesday afternoon, providing a snapshot of fuel supply at a specific point in time.
The update follows a brief hiccup earlier in the day, when an incomplete version of the webpage was accidentally published before being removed and replaced with the corrected information.
Recent changes to the data include reclassifying a ship from “arriving” to “discharging”, adding a vessel already within New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone, and listing a new shipment due in early April — boosting jet fuel stocks on water by about 9.9 days.
New Zealand has about 49 days of fuel available, with officials stressing supply remains normal despite a major update to how stock levels are reported.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has refreshed its public data to give a clearer, more complete picture of fuel supply — including shipments still weeks away from arriving.
As of 11.59pm on March 22, fuel companies reported six ships either unloading or moving fuel between New Zealand ports, carrying the equivalent of 19.8 days of petrol, 11.6 days of diesel and 11.7 days of jet fuel.
A further seven ships at sea are carrying around 42.6 days’ worth of fuel and are expected to arrive over the next two to three weeks.
In total, that equates to about 49 days of fuel supply — including roughly 21 days stored on land and another 28 days either being unloaded or en route.
MBIE said the updated figures do not reflect a sudden increase in fuel stocks, but instead provide a clearer view of what is already in the system.
“Fuel stocks naturally rise and fall each week as fuel is used and new shipments arrive,” the ministry said.
“Current fuel levels are broadly in line with normal levels before recent global disruptions, and fuel supply remains normal.”
The update adds new detail on the location and status of fuel shipments, including vessels that have left overseas ports but are still more than two weeks from New Zealand.
Officials said there are no concerns about future fuel shipments, with fuel companies continuing to report stock and shipping data twice a week.
The data is published on the MBIE website every Monday and Wednesday afternoon, providing a snapshot of fuel supply at a specific point in time.
The update follows a brief hiccup earlier in the day, when an incomplete version of the webpage was accidentally published before being removed and replaced with the corrected information.
Recent changes to the data include reclassifying a ship from “arriving” to “discharging”, adding a vessel already within New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone, and listing a new shipment due in early April — boosting jet fuel stocks on water by about 9.9 days.
