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Selwyn Times: May 30, 2018

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4 Wednesday <strong>May</strong> <strong>30</strong> <strong>2018</strong><br />

Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />

News<br />

SELWYN TIMES<br />

HORNCASTLE ARENA<br />

June 29 - July 1 10AM - 5PM<br />

TICKETS ONLINE: starhomeshow.kiwi<br />

District’s fuel prices reach record high<br />

Consumers<br />

warned cost of<br />

food could rise<br />

• By Julia Evans<br />

UNITED STATES president<br />

Donald Trump is being blamed<br />

for the record high price of petrol<br />

in the district..<br />

Some service stations were<br />

charging $2.29.9 a litre for<br />

91-octane petrol, the record high<br />

which was reached last week,<br />

while others are charging slightly<br />

less at $2.25.9.<br />

Infometrics economist Brad<br />

Olsen said the<br />

main reason<br />

was President<br />

Trump’s recent<br />

dealings<br />

in Iran.<br />

“The main<br />

driver is the<br />

Brad Olsen<br />

overseas price.<br />

West Texas<br />

Intermediate<br />

crude oil has shot up over the last<br />

couple of days and that’s largely<br />

because Trump and Iran has<br />

shaken up the playing field,” Mr<br />

Olsen said.<br />

President Trump announced<br />

recently that the US was walking<br />

away from the Iran nuclear deal<br />

organised between Russia, the<br />

United Kingdom, France, China<br />

and the US in 2015.<br />

The <strong>Selwyn</strong> <strong>Times</strong> tweeted<br />

President Trump for reaction. He<br />

did not respond.<br />

Fuel prices around the country<br />

hit record highs last week. There<br />

were reports of stations on<br />

Waiheke Island charging $2.51 a<br />

litre and $2.45 in Wanaka.<br />

In Auckland, prices were<br />

between $2.07 and $2.17 a<br />

litre.<br />

Mr Olsen said Canterbury was<br />

hit harder than Auckland due to<br />

the “Gull-effect,” caused by the<br />

introduction of the low priced<br />

Gull petrol stations in 2013.<br />

He said there was also a lack of<br />

competition between stations in<br />

Canterbury.<br />

And relief is not in sight.<br />

“We can’t really pick when<br />

they’ll go back down or if they’ll<br />

go back down . . . it will be interesting<br />

to see how prices change<br />

and regional discrepancies,” Mr<br />

Olsen said.<br />

There have been calls for the<br />

Government to address the issue.<br />

Minister of Energy and<br />

Resources Megan Woods said<br />

it is “very concerning” that<br />

Cantabrians are paying so much<br />

for petrol and it was clear the<br />

market is “not functioning as it<br />

should be.”<br />

“Obviously international<br />

events and the declining New<br />

Zealand dollar will have some<br />

role to play, but our focus is that<br />

people are paying a fair price,”<br />

she said.<br />

Dr Woods said the law is being<br />

changed to give the Commerce<br />

PRICE HIKE:<br />

Stations around<br />

the district<br />

are charging<br />

$2.29.9 per litre<br />

of 91-octane<br />

petrol.<br />

PHOTO: MARTIN<br />

HUNTER<br />

Commission the power to conduct<br />

market studies and compel<br />

the release of evidence to work<br />

out why petrol south of Wellington<br />

was much higher.<br />

Mr Olsen said it would<br />

have the biggest impact on<br />

lower income families, who<br />

would have to change their<br />

budgets drastically or change<br />

the way they travel.<br />

Red Bus chief executive Paul<br />

McNoe said it had not noticed<br />

an immediate increase in patronage.<br />

“But it is possible. The further<br />

it goes up and the longer it stays<br />

that high. It depends on people’s<br />

preference and their tolerance<br />

for prices. We’re always happy<br />

to welcome new customers,” he<br />

said.<br />

New Zealand Taxi Federation<br />

Canterbury president Stan Gane<br />

said the industry was “massively”<br />

impacted, but was not considering<br />

putting prices up.<br />

“We’ve changed most of the<br />

fleet in Christchurch to hybrid<br />

and are keeping prices as low as<br />

we possibly can, but every cent<br />

that fuel goes up is less wages<br />

and less groceries for staff,” he<br />

said.<br />

Mr Olsen said consumers<br />

could also expect to feel the<br />

brunt of petrol prices as freight<br />

companies would raise prices for<br />

retailers, who would likely pass it<br />

on to customers.<br />

“Largely we’ll see it in food<br />

prices. It will be interesting to<br />

see how much retailers put it up<br />

because consumers are going to<br />

get pretty annoyed with having<br />

to pay more for fuel as well as<br />

goods.”<br />

GOING AWAY THIS QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND?<br />

For those of you heading off for a break this long weekend please take<br />

the time to check real-time travel information before you head off and<br />

be prepared for increased traffic volumes.<br />

Drivers have two options for travel in the Upper<br />

South Island between Picton and Christchurch.<br />

• SH1 via Kaikōura is now open 24/7 but<br />

construction is ongoing (north and south)<br />

with delays and some single lanes.<br />

• The alternate Picton to Christchurch route<br />

via the Lewis Pass is open 24/7 (but check<br />

before travel as winter conditions may cause<br />

the Lewis Pass to be closed temporarily).<br />

Both routes will be busy so whichever one you<br />

choose the NZ Transport Agency advises you<br />

allow plenty of time for your trip, especially<br />

if you are catching a ferry or are on a tight<br />

schedule.<br />

The NZ Transport Agency encourages<br />

everyone heading off for a break to ‘know before<br />

you go’ and check the holiday hotspots map:<br />

www.nzta.govt.nz/hotspots. The map collates<br />

data from previous Queen’s Birthday Weekend<br />

journeys and advises on the best time to leave to<br />

avoid the rush.<br />

With the change in season it is also time to<br />

prepare for winter driving to stay safe:<br />

• Take the time to check your vehicle is in<br />

good condition – tyres/spare tyre, indicators,<br />

windshield wipers, lights<br />

• Be prepared by travelling with warm clothes,<br />

food, water and a fully charged cell phone<br />

• A flat battery is the most common cause<br />

of winter breakdowns. If it’s more than<br />

five years old it may struggle in the cold.<br />

Get it checked and replaced if necessary<br />

• Keep at least a quarter of a tank of fuel in<br />

case of any unexpected delays<br />

Drivers need to be patient, cautious and<br />

courteous. Take your time and be prepared<br />

for the unexpected.<br />

And remember, over holiday periods many<br />

drivers are on unfamiliar roads, so please<br />

be patient as we are all in this situation at<br />

some stage.<br />

HOW TO STAY UP TO DATE:<br />

• Plan your journey between Picton and<br />

Christchurch and get real-time information<br />

via www.nzta.govt.nz/p2c or call<br />

0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).<br />

We recommend checking at least two hours<br />

before you travel and while on your trip<br />

• Check the MetService weather forecast<br />

before you head away

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