How will marae and iwi providers be prioritised for fuel access during a national disruption, if at all?

Answer

The Government has developed a staged Fuel Response Plan (2026), which sets out how New Zealand would respond proportionately to major fuel supply disruptions in order to protect the economy and safeguard critical services. The Plan sets out how fuel is prioritised for essential services if supply becomes constrained. Essential services include those that protect life, health and public safety such as emergency response, health care, electricity and communications, water services, food and essential goods distribution, and critical transport and logistics. Where marae or iwi providers are delivering essential services in their communities, they would be supported through these prioritisation arrangements if activated. The Government is working up detail to determine how Phases 3 and 4 of the National Fuel Plan will be implemented. There will be priority bands, and we will continue to work closely with industry on how allocation of fuel would be managed. We expect marae and iwi providers to be provided for in those priority bands but final decisions on implementation of Phases 3 and 4 have yet to be made.