Motorists could be paying up to 50 cents more per litre of petrol, depending on where they fill up their fuel tanks in the Waikato.
According to data extracted for the Waikato Herald from price tracking app Gaspy on March 22, 91 unleaded petrol could cost as muchas $3.15 per litre at one station while another could charge as low a price as $2.65.
Gaspy monitors more than 1000 stations across New Zealand and displays prices as they are supplied and confirmed by users.
Gaspy’s data revealed Gull Speedlane Matamata had the lowest price for 91 ($2.65), followed by Waitomo Tūrangi and Gull Tauranga Taupo Bay ($2.66).
In Hamilton, the cheapest petrol could be found for $2.66 at KLD St. Andrews and a little further afield at Gull Eureka for $2.67.
The most expensive places to top up on 91 were GAS Omori ($3.15), GAS Hahei ($3.13), GAS Pauanui ($3.08), Mobil Kopu ($3.04) and Mobil Seddon St, Waihi ($3.03).
Petrol was also more expensive in Taupō where three petrol stations - Mobil Taupō, Mobil Lakeview and Mobil Junction - tied for 10th place in the highest prices in the region ($2.99 per litre of 91).
The news comes after the Commerce Commission wrote to major fuel companies, asking them to explain pricing levels and variations picked up in the Commission’s latest Quarterly Fuel Monitoring report.
John Toogood, whose family has owned a fishing bach in Tūrangi since the 1950s, said he wanted to know the justification for petrol stations in Tūrangi to charge similar petrol prices as stations in Wellington.
“The petrol prices in Tūrangi are consistently higher than in the town of Taihape which is just as far inland as Tūrangi.”
Petrol prices at the Turangi Z station on March 20. Photo / Milly Fullick
Toogood said he wanted to know why stations such as BP and Z could charge higher prices in Tūrangi when he expected they would have lower overheads than in the capital city.
“If excess profits are being made, are they giving it back to the local people?” Toogood said.
“Tūrangi has a lot of people coming into it for both the mountain and the fishing and tramping. But the people living in Tūrangi have to fill up their cars too.”
In November, the New Zealand Herald created an interactive map showing the average price of 91-octane fuel across the country. The map, using data extracted from Gaspy on November 9, showed motorists in some parts of the country were paying $0.72 more per litre than those in other areas.
In December, Commerce Commission chairman John Small urged motorists to look for “the lowest actual price in their area on the day”.
“Kiwis really need to compare board prices to maximise their savings at the pump,” Small said.
“When shopping around for the best price, motorists are often better off simply choosing the petrol station with the lowest board price or the site with a one-off ‘discount day’.”
Small’s comments came after the Commerce Commission wrote to major fuel companies, asking them to explain pricing levels and variations picked up in the Commission’s latest Quarterly Fuel Monitoring report.
Small said some of the pricing levels and variations picked up during the report period were “concerning, with no clear underlying factors”.
Small said one of the indicators of a competitive market was pricing that reflected the cost of supplying fuel at retail sites.
“We are seeing wide variations in prices both between and within cities, and these pricing differences do not appear to be explained by differences in the underlying costs.
“In a competitive market, we’d expect to see prices at the pump reflect the cost of supplying fuel at the pump, whereas what we are seeing is retailers in some towns and cities charging a lot more for what is essentially the same product with similar cost components.”
Maryana Garcia is a Hamilton-based multimedia reporter covering breaking news in Waikato. She previously wrote for the Rotorua Daily Post and Bay of Plenty Times.
