MEDIA RELEASE For Immediate Release
Common Sense Prevails - Government Listens To Gull Fuel
Specifications Review Should Lead To Some Price Relief For Kiwi Motorists
Auckland, 4 August 2011 - Gull welcomed the announcement today from the Minister for Energy Hekia Parata's office
regarding the review of engine fuel specifications regulations.
Dave Bodger Gull's General Manager says Gull made a submission to Government in February emphasising that the
regulations must help set a lid set on fuel prices to give the best outcome for Kiwi motorists.
"Gull is delighted to see that common sense has prevailed. The Government has kept New Zealand's fuel specification
regulations in line with comparable countries overseas. In areas such as octane and sulphur levels this may deliver
meaningful savings of around one cent per litre for octane. This is real money going into the back pocket of the Kiwi
motorist."
Bodger says that simply put the New Zealand market is a drop in the bucket for the world fuel supply but fortunately the
temptation to "fiddle" with fuel regulations has been well and truly resisted.
"Setting unique fuel specifications different from that of other countries would mean that New Zealand had to ask for a
'boutique brew' from the international refineries. This would have allowed the refineries to ramp up the price for our
fuel which in turn would have hit the kiwi motorist where it hurts-in the wallet."
Naturally Gull looks to exceed the fuel specifications wherever possible as highlighted with Gull's introduction of low
sulphur diesel to Kiwi motorists by making this available at the same cost.
Gull's key recommendations concerning ethanol and biodiesel have also been implemented by the Government, and this has
been taken as a positive sign for the growing New Zealand biofuels industry.
ENDS