Fuel security in New Zealand

The government regularly commissions reviews of the fuel system to ensure we remain aware of any risks and can improve the security of our national liquid fuel supply, for as long as it remains critical to our economy and wellbeing.

We're in regular contact with the fuel sector and work with them to ensure appropriate policies and measures are in place to reduce the impact of international and domestic oil supply disruptions.

The government’s measures to support our fuel security include:

• establishing domestic fuel reserves through the minimum stockholding obligation
• establishing a Fuel Security Plan, which sets out a medium-long term strategic vision for our fuel system and actions to deliver upon this
• chairing the fuel sector coordinating entity and establishing a National Fuel Plan(external link) on emergency readiness to manage domestic disruptions
• commissioning studies investigating vulnerabilities in our fuel system
• participating in the International Energy Programme to protect against disruption to international energy supplies.

Minimum stockholding obligation

The Fuel Industry Act 2020 was amended in 2023 to require fuel industry participants, who meet certain criteria, to keep a minimum amount of fuel on hand within New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone. This is the minimum stockholding obligation. It ensures New Zealand has enough petrol, diesel and jet fuel available if there is a major disruption to our fuel supply.

Read more about the Minimum onshore fuel stockholding obligation

The Fuel Industry Act 2020 was also amended in 2023 to enable the government to require fuel industry participants, who meet certain criteria, to disclose information important for fuel resilience.

The changes enable the government to collect more detailed information on fuel stocks at national and regional levels, international supply chains, and contingency arrangements. This allows for a more accurate assessment of New Zealand’s fuel resilience, helps identify opportunities to improve fuel resilience and monitor compliance with the minimum onshore fuel stockholding obligation.

Fuel Security Plan 2025

The Fuel Security Plan sets out the Government’s medium- to long-term strategy to make New Zealand’s fuel system more resilient and secure. It builds on the findings from the 2025 Fuel Security Study. 

The Government consulted with the public on the draft Fuel Security Plan from July-August 2025. 

The Fuel Security Plan is a commitment in the New Zealand First-National Coalition Agreement to safeguard transport and logistics systems and emergency services from any international or domestic disruption to fuel supply.

Read the Fuel Security Plan

Fuel Security Study 2025

A secure and resilient supply of engine fuels is critical to our economy as a severe and sustained disruption would impact industry and cause hardship to New Zealanders. The closure of the Marsden Point oil refinery in 2022 changed the nature of risks to New Zealand’s security of engine fuel supply. The Fuel Security Study provides an up-to-date assessment of New Zealand’s fuel security requirements.

The study sets out the vulnerabilities in our supply chain, impacts of potential disruptions to consumers and the economy, and lists a range of mitigation options.

The report on Reestablishing Marsden Point refinery was done as a part of the fuel security study and investigated the costs and benefits of reestablishing the oil refinery.

This work fed into the development of the Fuel Security Plan, released in 2025.

MBIE commissioned the reports from consultants, Envisory and Castalia, in 2024-25. Both reports were peer reviewed by Beca Ltd.

Previous studies

Reports on implications of Refining NZ’s conversion and mitigation options

The closure of Marsden Point Oil Refinery was one of the key considerations when the fuel resilience policy package 2022 was developed. MBIE investigated the implications of the refinery’s closure and commissioned the following reports from independent consultants Hale & Twomey in 2020.

Study on Economics of Fuel Supply Disruptions and Mitigations

In 2019, we commissioned Market Economics to evaluate the economic impacts of a range of international and domestic (within New Zealand) fuel disruption scenarios, and to model the impacts of mitigation options (primarily storage options) in these scenarios. A report was produced from this study:

Economics of Fuel Supply Disruptions and Mitigations [PDF, 2.2 MB]

Petroleum Supply Security 2017 Update

In 2017, we assessed the resilience of the New Zealand petroleum supply chain. Our update provides the latest information on risks, particularly recent studies relating to tsunami risks.

Petroleum Supply Security 2017 Update [PDF, 1.1 MB]

Oil Security Review 2012

In 2011 and 2012, MBIE commissioned three studies into New Zealand’s oil security.

1. A report evaluating options for re-establishing fuel supply to Auckland during a long-term fuel supply disruption: RAP contingency options [PDF, 837 KB]
2. A report recommending options to improve oil security, based on the cost of supply disruptions and the cost of measures to improve oil security: New Zealand Oil Security Assessment Update [PDF, 1 MB]
3. A report that summarises oil supply disruption scenarios, the direct costs of each disruption, and an estimate of the probability of each scenario: Information for NZIER Report on Oil Security [PDF, 634 KB]

National Fuel Plan

The National Fuel Plan sets out the emergency response and readiness framework for the government and fuel supply industry. It covers arrangements for responding to a major disruption to fuel supply including petroleum, diesel, aviation fuel and marine fuel. With recent changes to New Zealand's fuel supply chains, particularly the closure of the refinery, additional resources are needed to update and implement the National Fuel Plan.

National Fuel Plan(external link) — Civil Defence

International Energy Programme

New Zealand participates in the International Energy Programme to protect against disruption to international energy supplies. Developed by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the programme enables coordinated and collective action by requiring IEA countries to hold 90-day oil stocks.

Read more about New Zealand’s participation in the International Energy Programme.

Improving fuel security through other measures

At a broader level, fuel security can also be improved through measures like:

• increasing fuel mix diversity
• improving the fuel efficiency of the vehicle fleet
• encouraging greater use of domestic fuel supplies
• reducing demand for transport energy.

The Government and industry are pursuing these measures in different ways.

For more information, see Energy strategies for New Zealand.