Alliance Party Leader Victor Billot says the escalating international fuel crisis has laid bare the failure of decades of market-driven policy in New Zealand.

Mr Billot says New Zealand has been left dangerously exposed by the loss of domestic refining, the rundown of coastal tanker capability, and reliance on fragile overseas supply chains.

“The disruption now hitting global fuel flows shows what happens when governments fail to plan for resilience in a volatile world,” says Mr Billot.

“We are a remote island nation, yet successive Governments have left us dependent on global oil companies, overseas shipping, and paper reserves held offshore.”

Mr Billot says official reliance on “oil tickets” (fuel contracts that are held overseas) highlights how detached fuel policy has become from physical reality.

“An oil ticket in the Northern Hemisphere will not fuel an ambulance in Invercargill or keep freight moving in a real emergency.”

“The market promised efficiency, but it delivered vulnerability.”

The Alliance Party is calling for urgent action to restore fuel security, including public control over refining, expanded fuel storage in New Zealand, a New Zealand-flagged and New Zealand-crewed tanker capability, and a rapid “just transition” to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

“The just-in-time model has run out of time,” says Mr Billot.

“If we want real security, we need public ownership, national planning, and infrastructure built for resilience.”

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