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The price of filling up has jumped again and could jump higher yet, with petrol companies blaming the low Kiwi dollar and rising prices overseas.
As the international price of crude oil gets ever closer to
$US100 a barrel, the major petrol stations in New Zealand have
pushed prices up by five cents a litre.
A litre of 91 unleaded now costs nearly $1.74 in most parts of the
country, and prices are now just a few cents below the high-point
they reached last year $1.76 a litre.
Diesel has hit a record high of almost $1.28.
The petrol companies say this latest rise is due to a falling exchange rate and the increasing cost of oil.
BP says the company makes their own pricing decisions based on their own costs. They say the cost of diesel has gone up almost 11% on the international market, and the cost of petrol has risen 7%.
Gull is the only oil company not to raise prices but it will be reassessing its position Friday morning.
"I wish there was something more we could do, like strike against service stations, but it's not really their problem, it's worldwide," says one motorist.
Most countries around the world are experiencing either record or close-to-record pump prices. New Zealand motorists have actually been somewhat protected by the exchange rate.
ANZ Bank Chief Economist Cameron Bagrie says higher pump prices are something Kiwis are going to have to get used to, but he says people, particularly middle to low income families, will feel the pinch.
The Automobile Association says the price rises are disappointing, particularly just before Christmas.
"We're certainly concerned that they've gone up, it's disappointing at this time of the year when Kiwis are generally planning more travel over the summer period," says AA spokesperson Mark Stockdale.
The impact of the latest rise may mean that people will be more cautious about how they use their vehicles and plan their journeys a little bit better and they will think twice before they do it.
Others may look at ways of bringing car ownership down.
Car-sharing company Cityhop recently launched in Auckland with 60 members sharing ten cars at the moment, but a similar scheme in the UK has 20,000 members.
Bagrie also says the combination of rising petrol prices, rising food prices and the slowing housing market may also mean retailers could see a distinct lack of Christmas cheer.
With next year's expected regional tax on petrol, some analysts are also picking petrol will eventually $2 a litre.
AA says people should take advantage of supermarket fuel
discount vouchers.
