<\/p>\n
Diesel prices on 8 April.\u00a0<\/span>Photo:\u00a0RNZ \/ Mark Papalii<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Diesel would be a different story however, Parham said, and he expected it would take some time for prices to unwind – but he believed it would not get to $4 a litre.<\/p>\n “I think we’ll skim just under that.”<\/p>\n RNZ went out on Wednesday to speak to drivers at petrol stations about diesel becoming the most expensive fuel at the pump as it overtakes 98.<\/p>\n According to fuel finding app Gaspy, 260 stations in the motu were charging diesel at $3.99 a litre, with some truck stops in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato hitting $4.20 a litre.<\/p>\n Motorists said that commuters and individuals could switch to petrol cars, public transport or working from home.<\/p>\n But commercial trucking fleets do not have that flexibility.<\/p>\n Photo:\u00a0RNZ \/ Mark Papalii<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n One contractor told RNZ business owners had no choice but to absorb higher diesel costs in contracts agreed months ago before the fuel crisis.<\/p>\n Another business owner said companies would have to decide whether to pass on the higher cost of diesel to their customers in any new contracts.<\/p>\n A civil construction company owner said: “We’re definitely feeling the pinch. We’re trying to wear the cost as much as possible. But we are looking at price increases”<\/p>\n They said that could cause ripple effects across all industries from construction to agriculture.<\/p>\n One builder told RNZ: “All our suppliers are charging extra on deliveries now.”<\/p>\n Parham said purchases of fuel had softened as prices rose, after a couple of weeks of panic buying.<\/p>\n He said demand was down about 10 percent.<\/p>\n “There’s definitely been a change in behaviours. We’re more keen than anybody to get these prices back down.”<\/p>\n Gaspy spokesperson Mike Newton said dependence on overseas refineries and the lack of alternatives to diesel would likely keep prices high for a while.<\/p>\n Fuel prices in general rose following the outbreak of war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n