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PM Fakafanua moves to calm Tonga’s fuel panic as NZ petrol stations run dry and prices surge past $3

By
Kalino Latu
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Queues formed at petrol stations across Tonga as fuel panic buying grew, but Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua moved to reassure the public that there is no immediate shortage.

Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua

It comes as regional tensions have surged after the US‑Israel war with Iran, which began on 28 February 2026 and has now entered its 17th day, triggering missile and drone attacks across the Middle East and disrupting vital oil routes such as the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflict has led to heightened fears over global fuel supply stability, contributing to public anxiety in countries like Tonga.

Fuel prices in New Zealand are genuinely rising and some petrol stations — mainly Gull — have temporarily run out of fuel due to panic buying.

However, the Luxon government says NZ’s overall fuel supply remains secure, with several weeks of stock both in the country and en route.

The temporary outages are caused by sudden surges in demand, not by an actual nationwide shortage, it says.

Fakafanua Addresses Fuel Concerns

The Tongan government says the kingdom still has sufficient fuel supplies and there is no need for panic.

It says Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua met with national energy stakeholders on Monday to review Tonga’s Energy Security Strategy.

The meeting on 16 March brought together senior officials and sector representatives to assess the country’s current fuel reserves and long-term energy resilience.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the discussions confirmed that Tonga’s immediate fuel supply remains stable.

In a statement, the government urged the public not to engage in panic buying or unnecessary queuing at petrol stations, saying there is no immediate risk of shortages.

To provide further clarity, the Prime Minister’s Office will host a press conference on Thursday, 19 March 2026 at 9am, where the government is expected to outline its broader energy security plans and answer media questions.

NZ Police hit comancheros in major operation — firearms, meth and cash seized

By
Kaniva Staff
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New Zealand Police have targeted Comanchero members and associates as part of coordinated enforcement activity across Australasia targeting the gang’s criminal operations.

Three men have been arrested, with items seized including an AR-15 rifle, cash and methamphetamine.

Taskforce Morpheus is a working group of law enforcement agencies across Australia and New Zealand that focus on the targeting and disruption of illegal activity by organised criminal groups.

Last week, the National Day of Action targeted the Comanchero Motorcycle Club, and saw nine Police districts carry out enforcement activity, supported by the National Organised Crime Group and the National Gang Unit.

Police charged three men who are members or associates of the gang and laid 14 charges for drugs and firearms offending.

In Tokoroa, Bay of Plenty staff searched three addresses with the assistance of the Armed Offenders Squad.

Five firearms, including an AR-15 rifle, were recovered along with cannabis and a kilogram of a substance believed to be methamphetamine.

Two men, aged 36 and 39, were arrested without incident during the warrants.

Around the country, Police also worked with the Department of Corrections given the number of members currently in custody.

Director of the National Organised Crime Group, Detective Superintendent Greg Williams says the Comancheros remain of interest to law enforcement agencies.

“This gang is seen as one of the top organised crime groups in both Australia and New Zealand for their involvement in the importation and distribution of cocaine, methamphetamine and other illegal drugs,” he says.

“They remain a focus for us, and through our investigative work we continue to find their members and associates involved in a large number of importations, alongside their propension for committing serious violence to maintain control over the market.”

Police continue to work with law enforcement agencies in New Zealand and abroad to combat the Comanchero’s influence globally.

“We are focused on taking their influence out of New Zealand, and we have had many successes since the gang established operations here through Operations Nova and Embargo,” Detective Superintendent Williams says.

“Nearly all of the gang’s members and associates have been prosecuted, and this includes its entire senior leadership team that are all facing serious charges.”

Director Prisoners of Extreme Risk Directorate, Jeanette Burns says a large number of cells were searched across six prisons in New Zealand.

“Across those prisons a large amount of tobacco was located, alongside quantities of suspected illicit drugs,” says Jeanette.

“Some prisoners go to extreme and elaborate lengths to continue offending from prison. Our staff work hard to stop contraband entering our prisons, and when we do find it we take this extremely seriously.

“Corrections does not tolerate any criminal behaviour in our prisons, and we continue to work with our partners to stamp out this offending and the harm it causes to our communities.”

Police warn public not to approach dangerous fugitive as manhunt intensifies in South Auckland

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Police is seeking information on the whereabouts of Nigel Edwards who is wanted to arrest.

The 41-year-old man is wanted in connection with a firearms incident in Papakura on 8 March 2026.

Police have made a number of enquiries to locate Edwards in the past week.

Edwards is actively avoiding Police, and the public should consider him dangerous. Do not approach him.

If you sight Edwards, call Police on 111.

Information on his whereabouts can also be provided to Police via 105 using the reference number 260308/7975.

You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Arson accused found not guilty by reason of insanity after fire razes Catholic church serving Tongan parishioners

By
Kaniva Staff
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Auckland, NZ – The arsonist responsible for the fire that obliterated St Mary’s Catholic Church in Avondale has been ordered to remain under compulsory psychiatric treatment until he is assessed as fit to be released back into the community.

Emergency services responded to St Mary’s Church on Great North Rd in Avondale shortly after 4am last Monday.

Sinele Katoa, 42, was charged with arson after fire crews fought to extinguish the early‑morning blaze on July 14.

The nearly 70‑year‑old church on Great North Rd had served generations of families as a place of worship, education, community gatherings and regular Tongan-language services.

At a disposition hearing on Thursday in the Auckland District Court, Father Andrew Matthew delivered a victim impact statement describing the profound loss felt by the community, the NZ Herald reported.

He said the $2.5 million insurance payout would cover only half of the estimated $5 million needed to rebuild.

“The community has stopped. The flock are going to other places because there is no church to bring them back,” he said.

“People’s memory of it is charred embers and wood burning in the early hours of the morning.”

Judge Claire Ryan heard evidence that Katoa had been suffering from undiagnosed schizophrenia for many years.

Psychiatrist Dr Ian Goodwin told the court Katoa was “acutely psychotic” on the night of the fire and had endured auditory hallucinations for at least three years.

The court also heard that Katoa had a criminal record involving violence, disorder and dangerous driving, but he had not reoffended since 2008. Judge Ryan said the 15-year gap before the arson was a “considerable period of time”.

Since his remand to the Mason Clinic, Katoa has been responding well to anti‑psychotic medication, with clinicians describing his progress as “significant”.

The court determined that Katoa will stay in compulsory psychiatric care until he is assessed as suitable for release into the community.

He was described as “very remorseful for it and has a great deal of grief for the community,” Dr Goodwin said, adding that Katoa felt too ashamed to ever return to the parish.

Tribunal rules Immigration NZ misjudged Tongan woman’s partnership visa case

By
Kaniva Staff
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Immigration New Zealand has been ordered to reconsider a Tongan woman’s residence application after the Immigration and Protection Tribunal found the agency made a flawed assessment of her partnership status.

The woman, 25, who arrived in New Zealand in November 2023 on a visitor visa with her two eldest children, had applied for residence in September 2024 based on her partnership with her Tongan‑born husband.

The couple, who began a relationship in 2016 and have three children together, married in Tonga in 2023.

Immigration New Zealand declined the woman’s residence application on the grounds that she should have been included in her partner’s earlier immigration steps under the Pacific Access Category.

Immigration officials said she was eligible to be declared in her partner’s 2018 registration for the PAC ballot but was not included, and again eligible to be listed in his subsequent 2019 resident‑visa application but was omitted.

Those omissions triggered mandatory decline rules under the Family (Partnership) category.

The central question before the Immigration and Protection Tribunal was whether Immigration New Zealand had correctly determined that the woman and her partner were already in a partnership at the time he lodged both applications.

The Tribunal was tasked with deciding whether the partner was required to declare her as a partner in 2018 when registering for the PAC ballot, and again in 2019 when he applied for his resident visa.

However, the Tribunal ruled INZ was incorrect to find that the couple were in a de facto partnership at the time of the 2018 PAC registration.

While the pair were in a relationship and had a child together by then, the Tribunal noted they were not living together, their relationship was not publicly recognised, and they lacked the level of interdependence required to meet the definition of a de facto partnership under immigration instructions.

The Tribunal found the couple’s relationship, at that stage, did not amount to “a relationship in the nature of marriage,” meaning the woman did not have to be included in the PAC registration.

The Tribunal agreed that by March 2019—when the partner applied for his resident visa—the couple were living together and met the definition of a de facto partnership. As a result, the woman should have been eligible to be included in that 2019 visa application.

However, it found INZ failed to complete its assessment by not considering whether the partner’s non‑declaration of his partner in 2019 was done without an intention to mislead, and whether including her would or would not have changed the outcome of his visa application—both required under immigration instructions.

Because INZ had already declined the application on the earlier incorrect ground, it did not properly consider this second stage of the test.

The Tribunal cancelled INZ’s decision and directed the agency to reassess the woman’s application by an officer who has not previously been involved.

INZ must now complete its evaluation under the correct instructions, including determining whether the earlier non‑declaration was misleading and whether it would have affected the original visa outcome.

The Tribunal emphasised that while the appeal succeeded, this did not guarantee approval of the woman’s residence application. Her case will now return to Immigration New Zealand for full reassessment under the proper process.

As matai title rumours swirl, is it Tonga’s turn to offer the NZ PM a hingoa matāpule or nōpele?

By
Kalino Latu
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Commentary – As Christopher Luxon sets off for Samoa ahead of his visit to Tonga this week, his office is dismissing reports that he sought the Samoan matai title, despite the Samoan Prime Minister publicly suggesting he had.

According to a 1News report, the New Zealand Prime Minister is scheduled to receive the title Tui‑Sinave‑ma‑Ulumotootua on Monday morning during a ceremony outside Samoa’s main Government building in Apia.

The Prime Minister’s office has firmly denied claims that Luxon requested a Samoan matai title, calling the reports “incorrect.”

Meanwhile, Samoa’s Prime Minister reportedly joked that if Luxon became a matai, he would be obliged to support visa‑free entry for Pacific peoples—a sensitive issue as a 48,000‑signature petition for visa‑on‑arrival was recently presented to the New Zealand Parliament.

Laaulialemalietoa emphasised that “one’s duty as a matai is to serve Samoa,” and the visa debate is expected to feature in upcoming bilateral talks, though wider Government support remains lukewarm due to concerns about overstayers.

Mr Luxon is travelling with a delegation that includes business leaders and community representatives and is expected to meet with the newly appointed leaders of both countries.

It is understood the delegation included the Police Minister, the Minister for Pacific Peoples, and opposition MPs, led by Savae Sir Michael Jones and Rachel Afeaki.

Luxon says the trip is intended to reinforce New Zealand’s close ties with two key Pacific partners and to meet the new leaders and their cabinets.

A Well‑Established Tradition

Honouring a New Zealand Prime Minister with a matai title is nothing new.

Sir John Key was given the matai title To‘osavili during a 2009 visit to tsunami‑hit Poutasi; later, RNZ noted other PMs, including Robert Muldoon, David Lange, Jim Bolger, Sir Bill English, and Foreign Minister Winston Peters, have been honoured with Samoan titles.

That precedent helps explain why the current rumour resonated so quickly.

A Samoan matai title is a lifetime chiefly honour conferred by one’s ‘aiga to lead and serve within the fa‘amatai system.

In Tonga, Mr Luxon could be granted either a matāpule title or, alternatively, elevated to the status of a nōpele (noble).

A hingoa nōpele (noble title) is reserved solely for conferment by the King, whereas a hingoa matāpule (talking‑chief title) may be bestowed by the King, chiefs, or community leaders to designate an honorary figure connected to a chiefly household or a ceremonial herald responsible for formal speeches and fakapangai protocols.

In that case, if Tonga wanted to bestow a hingoa matāpule on Luxon, it could be done by Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua, since he is a noble of the realm or the Crown Prince, who is also a Cabinet Minister.

Honours Beyond Tonga’s Shores

Historically, the King of Tonga has had the authority to confer noble titles on distinguished individuals, including foreign figures, as honorary holders.

The late King George Tupou V exercised this prerogative by bestowing life peerages on several prominent individuals, such as former Fijian Vice President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi and former Scottish Chief Justice Ramsay Dalgety, as Lord Dalgety of Sikotilani, appointing them as Law Lords of Tonga.

Their responsibilities included advising the monarch on legal matters, a role carried out through periodic visits to Tonga as well as ongoing digital consultations.

Similarly, the hingoa matāpule has long been bestowed on notable foreigners as well as Tongans recognised for outstanding achievements abroad.

US Citizen Eric B. Shumway, former BYU–Hawaii president and long‑time LDS leader in Tonga, was made a matāpule with the title Faivaola in the early 1960s, recognising his fluency in chiefly language and service.

In sport, Dame Valerie Adams—New Zealand–Tongan Olympic great—was appointed Tongitupe‑ʻO e‑Funga Taua as a herald (matāpule) to Lord Vaea in 2015, a rare honour for a woman and an acknowledgement of her achievements and Tongan roots.

Examples like these highlight a Tongan–foreign cross‑cultural practice that honours individuals from any background, recognising their contributions and drawing on their status and expertise in meaningful ways.

Ties Spanning Two Homelands

According to the 2018 census, New Zealand’s Tongan community has grown to nearly 100,000—making it the largest Tongan diaspora globally and almost equal in size to Tonga’s own population of approximately 103,000 (2026).

The near‑equal population sizes show that New Zealand has become a major centre of Tongan life, with almost as many Tongans living in Aotearoa as in Tonga itself.

This reflects long‑term migration trends and highlights the growing cultural, social, and political influence of the Tongan diaspora, whose size now plays a significant role in shaping New Zealand–Tonga relations.

While a hingoa matāpule or nōpele carries their own cultural authorities and obligations, any appointment—whether for a foreigner or a Tongan—must rest on one crucial foundation: a relationship of exceptional closeness and trust.

Addressing Diaspora Hardship

When such a bond is genuine and upheld over time, it can be respectfully leveraged to support the well-being of Tongans in Aotearoa, including the more than 2,000 who remain in New Zealand as overstayers and face ongoing hardship.

As of 1 July 2025, Immigration New Zealand estimated that 2,599 Tongan nationals were overstayers, the highest number of any nationality and topping the agency’s latest list of overstayers.

Many of these individuals left Tonga in search of better opportunities, as the country’s economy struggles to support its population, with about a quarter of Tongans (25%) living below the poverty line.

Because immigration settings can ultimately be changed only by lawmakers—most notably the Prime Minister and the governing party—any cultural honour extended to them carries symbolic weight.

While Prime Minister Luxon and the National Party have consistently prioritised tougher action on overstayers in the name of border security, rule of law, and protecting public resources, granting a hingoa matāpule or nōpele could serve as a gentle reminder of the human realities behind these policies and the need to consider their impact on the Tongan community in Aotearoa.

Can a multivitamin slow the ageing process? Not really

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

A daily multivitamin can help slow markers of biological ageing, a new study claims, but its senior author doesn’t recommend doing that.

Experts say most people who eat a healthy, balanced diet shouldn’t need to take vitamin supplements.Photo credit:Polina Tankilevitch / Unsplash

The idea of slowing down the ageing process is an alluring prospect.

A new study published in the journal Nature Medicine — and gaining traction online — claims taking a daily multivitamin can help slow markers of biological ageing.

But don’t rush to fill your shopping trolley with supplements just yet. Based on his own study, not even the senior author recommends taking a daily multivitamin.

pills and multivitamins on a black background
“For some vitamins, excess doses are harmful,” – Jenny Gunton, director of the centre for diabetes, obesity and endocrinology at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research.123RF

Howard Sesso, an epidemiologist at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said that although his team’s findings were “incredibly encouraging”, more research is needed.

“We are not yet in a position to recommend a daily multivitamin for all older adults.”

The other catch is that the study only looked at people about 70 years old. So, what can — and can’t — its results tell us? And what’s the general advice around multivitamins?

The study’s authors are unsure why daily consumption of multivitamins may have impacted health markers.

What did the study tell us?

The 958 healthy participants in the study were assigned to take either a multivitamin supplement; a cocoa-extract supplement; both supplements; or neither supplements, for two years.

Researchers analysed five epigenetic clocks — tools which measure tiny changes in DNA — to calculate how the study participants’ biological age changed over time.

What is epigenetic ageing?

And can we slow or reverse the process?

The study found that participants who took the multivitamins had slightly slower biological ageing for two out of the five markers, both of which were biomarkers for disease and mortality.

The changes equated to about four months less biological ageing over the course of two years.

Sesso said his team is not sure why the daily multivitamin may have had an impact across the two measures it did.

“We do not have a specific reason why the multivitamin — a common, safe, broad-based collection of essential vitamins and minerals, plus selected bioactives, at usual levels — was so effective.”

As participants in the trial were aged about 70 and mostly white, the researchers said the results could not be generalised to other populations.

The research also excluded any participants with major chronic illnesses, cancer or cardiovascular conditions.

“We really need more randomised clinical trials like [this trial] across the entire age spectrum, and not just among older adults,” Sesso said.

The current trial, called the COSMOS trial, was funded by Mars and the US National Institutes of Health, with Pfizer providing support via donating supplements.

Experts urge ‘caution’ about results

Luigi Fontana, professor of medicine and nutrition at the University of Sydney and not part of the research team, urges people to be “cautious” in interpreting the study’s findings.

“The change was very, very small.”

In addition, he said, the science behind epigenetic clocks was still young.

“The study is interesting, very, very experimental; we don’t know what these biological clocks are measuring.”

While the study showed that multivitamins could modify epigenetic clock measurements, whether they could increase life span “remained an open question,” epidemiologist Daniel Belsky and evolutionary biologist Calen Ryan of Columbia University wrote in an analysis of the study in Nature Medicine.

“There is no gold standard measurement of ageing,” they write.

And even if multivitamins did change people’s epigenetic clocks, there still was no evidence that they would reduce disease risk or increase survival.

“An observed effect on a clock cannot be interpreted as evidence that the intervention [taking the multivitamin] has modified healthspan.”

Should you ever take multivitamins?

People eating a healthy diet do not need supplements, Fontana says.

He recommends anyone who suspects they have a vitamin deficiency to see their doctor, who may be able to recommend whether supplements are right for them.

Jenny Gunton — director of the centre for diabetes, obesity and endocrinology at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, who did not contribute to the study — agrees people eating a healthy diet do not need multivitamins.

But she also points out that many people did not have a healthy diet.

“If you manage the recommended five serves of veggies, two serves of fruit, some dairy, some low-glycaemic-index carbs and some low-fat protein each day, congratulations, you are doing a fabulous job and probably don’t need supplements.”

“But if your diet isn’t as good as it should be, then taking one multivitamin per day is very reasonable.”

However, Gunton warns, too much of some vitamins is not a good thing.

“It is important to note that more is probably not better; for some vitamins, excess doses are harmful.”

“An example of this is vitamin B6, which at high doses causes nerve damage.”

For people who want to care for their bodies as they age, Fontana’s advice is simple: eat a balanced diet, remain active, get enough sleep, try to look after your emotional health and limit alcohol intake.

After years of abuse, Tongan mother and daughters granted refuge in New Zealand

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Auckland, NZ— A Tongan woman and her four daughters have been granted refugee status in New Zealand after the Immigration and Protection Tribunal (IPT) ruled that the family would face serious psychological, physical, and socio‑economic harm if forced to return to Tonga.

The recently released decision follows a two‑day hearing in October where extensive evidence was presented about the mother’s history of severe trauma, intimate partner violence, sexual abuse, family rejection, and the vulnerability of her young children.

The Tribunal found that the mother—identified only as FI—suffers from chronic, untreated post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rooted in repeated childhood rape and later intimate partner violence in Tonga.

Her four daughters, all born in New Zealand except the eldest, were also recognised as refugees due to the cumulative risks they would face in Tonga, including stigma, poverty, racial discrimination, and the intergenerational impact of their mother’s untreated trauma.

Severe Trauma and “Hyper‑Isolation”

The Tribunal accepted expert evidence from clinical psychologist Dr McFadden, who described the mother as experiencing severe, long‑term PTSD with dissociation, suicidal ideation, and “a high vulnerability to re‑victimisation.”

The Tribunal found that the woman’s abuse began in childhood, when she was repeatedly raped by a cousin at the age of eight.

As an adult, she later entered an 18‑month relationship in which she was subjected to coercive control, physical violence, strangulation, rape, and threats to kill her.

When she attempted to report the abuse, Tongan police dismissed her complaint, telling her it was a “private family matter.”

The Tribunal also noted that her own family blamed her for “bringing shame” on them because she had children out of wedlock and because she left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Tribunal described her current state as one of “hyper‑isolation” — abandoned by family, unsupported by institutions in Tonga, and extremely vulnerable.

Fears of Harm in Tonga

The mother told the Tribunal she feared being killed by her violent former partner if she returned to Tonga. While the Tribunal considered that the immediate risk of an attack was low given the passage of time, it ruled that the psychological harm arising from past threats—combined with her trauma condition—meant she would still face “serious harm” under refugee law.

Country information presented to the Tribunal showed that domestic violence remains widespread in Tonga. Police responses were described as often inadequate, under‑resourced, or dismissive.

The Tribunal also heard that Tonga has not ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and that women continue to face restricted property rights, economic inequality, and discrimination—pressures that are even greater for single mothers.

The Tribunal concluded that the mother, as a Tongan woman with no family support and a significant trauma history, would face ongoing breaches of her rights to safety, housing, equality, and mental health care.

Children at Elevated Risk

The Tribunal also examined the risks facing the woman’s daughters, aged 5, 6, 9 and 12. It found that the girls would likely face social stigma in Tonga for being born “illegitimate” under the country’s existing legitimacy laws.

The Tribunal noted that the children could also encounter difficulties obtaining Tongan birth certificates or passports. It further heard that the daughters had previously experienced bullying in New Zealand because of their mixed heritage and darker complexion.

In addition, the Tribunal found that the girls would be exposed to poverty and limited access to safe housing if returned to Tonga. It also accepted that they faced the likelihood of inheriting trauma from their mother’s severe PTSD.

The Tribunal accepted expert evidence that the children were at “elevated psychological vulnerability” and that returning with their mother to Tonga would expose them to harmful conditions without adequate support.

While the Tribunal did not make a new legal finding on intergenerational trauma in refugee law, it stated that the children would suffer compounding harms rising to the level of persecution.

The mother had argued that Tongan authorities were withholding birth certificates and passports for her children due to prejudice and her refugee claim. While the Tribunal gave her the benefit of the doubt regarding unprofessional behaviour by a Tongan lawyer and consular staff, it found insufficient evidence that the Tongan government had officially discriminated against her children.

Instead, it ruled on broader grounds: even if documentation could eventually be obtained, the daughters would still face serious harm in Tonga due to stigma, poverty, and their mother’s fragile mental health.

The Tribunal determined that no safer region within Tonga could protect the family. Their vulnerabilities—psychological, social, and economic—would exist nationwide.

Refugee Status Granted

The Tribunal ultimately granted refugee status to all four appellants (the mother and her three youngest daughters) and noted that the eldest daughter is already a New Zealand resident.

They do not require additional protection under the Convention Against Torture or the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights because, as recognised refugees, they cannot be deported from New Zealand.

Carry less weight and check tyre pressure: AA’s advice to save fuel

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The Automobile Association is advising people to take steps that could help save fuel as the Middle East conflict bumps up prices.

Saving fuel could mean taking simple steps like carrying less weight, driving safely and checking tire pressure. Photo: RNZ / Dan

Principal advisor Terry Collins said people can use less fuel by driving safely, checking tire pressure and taking fewer trips.

“Getting the car up to operating temperature … doing all those trips in one go coming back you’re saving fuel.”

Prices have been going up because of the volatility on the wholesale market caused by the conflict in the Middle East following the US-Israel strikes on Iran.

Collins said saving on the cost of fuel can come down to taking simple steps like carrying less weight in the car.

“Don’t drive all week with extra weight unnecessary like golf clubs or other things in your car that aren’t doing anything other than sitting in there. Weight will always make you use more fuel.”

Collins advised people to take a roof rack off their car, as it will make the aerodynamics of the vehicle better.

Checking tyre pressure was also on the list to save fuel, as he said it can decrease in colder weather.

He is also urging people to use an app, like Gaspy, to find the cheapest petrol station near them.

“It’s a homogeneous product which means basically its the same where ever you get it and so buying it by the cheapest price is the best smartest thing to do.”

Since the start of the conflict the price of oil has almost doubled from where it was at the start of the year.

The ripple effects of the price increase has also been the potential for inflation across a wide range of goods and services.

This week demand on Gull’s discount day left some of its petrol stations running low on fuel.

Gull stations in Auckland have run out of petrol at some locations, including this one in Sel Peacock Drive in Henderson. 12 March 2026.

Gull stations in Auckland have run out of petrol at some locations, including this one in Sel Peacock Drive in Henderson. 12 March 2026. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel

Gull said 3 percent of its sites had not been able to meet the extra demand from customers when it cut prices on its regular Thursday promotion.

Emeritus Professor in Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Energy at Massey University, Ralph Sims, had previously given similar advice to drivers on saving fuel as prices spiked.

“Most people don’t understand how to drive a car efficiently. I see people accelerate to a red light and then brake heavily, and if you’re running on low tyre pressures, it consumes much more fuel,” Sims said.

He also suggested the government do a national education campaign on fuel-saving tips like avoiding heavy braking, checking tyre pressure, and taking things that add weight, like a roof rack, off their vehicle when they are not needed.

New Zealand to expand work rights for international students

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.vo.nz and is republished with permission

New Zealand will introduce a new work visa for international graduates and expand post-study work rights for some diploma holders later this year.

Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin

The new visa is part of an effort to attract and retain international graduates with valuable skills.

The changes, announced by Immigration New Zealand on Thursday, include a Short Term Graduate Work Visa that will give eligible graduates up to six months of open work rights to find a job after finishing their studies.

Those who move into suitable employment may then be able to transition to an Accredited Employer Work Visa.

The visa will apply to students who complete qualifications at NZQCF Levels 5 to 7 after at least 24 weeks of full-time study in New Zealand. It will not cover English language, foundation or bridging qualifications.

Immigration New Zealand said holders of the visa must work for an employer under an employment agreement or a contract for services, and would not be allowed to operate a business.

They would also be barred from supporting a partner for a work visa or children for a Dependent Child Student Visa, the agency said.

Alongside the new visa, the government is widening eligibility for the Post Study Work Visa.

From late this year, students who complete a full-time graduate diploma at NZQCF Level 7 in New Zealand will be eligible for the visa, provided they also held a bachelor’s degree earned in New Zealand or overseas.

The Post Study Work Visa may be granted for up to one year, depending on how long the student spent studying for the graduate diploma in New Zealand.

The visa also carries broader family sponsorship rights, allowing holders to support partners and dependent children for visitor, work or dependent child student visas, provided relevant conditions are met.

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