Petrol and Diesel: Delivering Quality

Fuel quality in New Zealand is governed by a set of regulations designed to protect consumers and the environment. These regulations include factors that affect the performance of fuel, such as the octane number, as well as limits for components that could be harmful to the environment or to public health, such as lead and sulphur. The regulations are known as the Petroleum Products Specifications Regulations.

Monitoring the nation's fuel quality is the responsibility of the Energy Safety Service, a group within the Ministry of Economic Development. It routinely tests petrol and diesel samples from around the country to ensure that the fuel available to consumers complies with the regulations. The results [link to Energy Safety Service website] of this testing programme show that petrol and diesel are of consistently high quality.

The Government decided to review the existing fuel quality regulations to assess whether they are still appropriate to overall consumer needs. From February 2001 to May 2002, the Ministry led the Petroleum Products Specifications Regulations Review considering consumer, industry, health, safety, environmental, and quality issues when developing recommendations for petrol and diesel that are appropriate for New Zealand. The Terms of Reference guided the focus and direction of the review.

As a result of the Review, new regulations came into effect on 1 September 2002. These were amended on 1 December 2003.