We spoke a few weeks ago about the fact he was looking into a ban on diesel exports. The industry didn't like it – they thought it wouldn't bring prices down. They lobbied the White House and said the idea could actually push prices up.
Well, Trump's now had advice on it.
He's also shoulder tapped some allies to let them know what might be about to happen.
The Brits are worried enough to hold meetings with the Europeans.
Unlike New Zealand, the UK still refines fuel. But it doesn't refine enough diesel to meet its domestic demand.
So it imports it. In the past three months, about a quarter of diesel imports came from the US.
Much more comes from third parties, who in-turn source it from America.
If supply gets cut, we'd be screwed on price. We, along with Asia and the Aussies, could see shortages.
Even a partial ban or cap could push prices way higher than the $3.18 average at the pump right now.
That'll have a big impact on prices, transport, and farms.
So, here's hoping for our sake, America doesn't come first.
Just another reminder of the potential economic hits that could be around the corner, and the need for a strong balance sheet in Wellington.
Ryan Bridge is a New Zealand broadcaster who has worked on many current affairs television and radio shows. He currently hosts Newstalk ZB's Early Edition - where this article was sourced.
16 comments:
Good thing we still have Marsden Point to refine diesel. Oh wait
If Labour and the greens were still there we’d be well on the path to decarbonisation by now. The current coalition of chais has no vision and doesn’t care for the energy security of NZ, they’re happy just waving in the wind and will go whenever Trump and the Middle East take us. It hasn’t been taking us to a very good place this year.
Where does the input to Marsden Point come from, Anon 830? Is this the level of intelligence of people who will be voting this year?? New Zealand is in trouble. Get Labour back in, and get our education institutions back on track.
For a really in depth analysis of the diesel problem and the wider energy predicament (which underpins and controls EVERYTHING that happens in the modern world), read this website:
https://ourfiniteworld.com/author/gailtheactuary/
This woman, a professional actuary, has done the research, is not blowing out climate change smoke, and has no ideological bias (unlike our hopeless Greens who base EVERYTHING on non-scientific, ideological, emotional, non-rational, aspirational, confused, pseudo-analysis). I repeat: energy is the absolute basis of everything that goes on in our world. Nothing happens without energy. On the most basic level, food is energy. If you don't consistently get enough calories per day you will eventually DIE. If you are a hunter/gatherer (the simplest form of human society), and it consistently takes more energy to collect and prepare your food every day than the energy contained in the food for that day, you will eventually DIE. This simple necessary condition of ALL life: energy in must equal or exceed energy out, holds true for every form of human society from the simplest to our complex modern societies.
anon 10:14 "we’d be well on the path to decarbonisation by now". You are in La La Land. It is asolutely impossible to power an advanced modern industrial society without petroleum, full stop. How do you lubricate your electric car motor and gearboxs, your electrical transformers, your wind generators, machines in general, as well as the petroleum derived plastics that are in ALL of this stuff (including your oh so wonderful solar panels and wind generators and geothermal plants). Give me a single example of a fully "decarbonized" modern industrial country running without any petroleum based inputs. You, like most Green fantacists, have no understanding of physics or real world engineering. Your approach to energy is a cargo cult: If we want something bad enough, the universe (or somebody) will provide it. Sorry mate, the Universe doesn't give a rat's ass about what you want, and there's NO "hack" around the limits of physics. The truth is that commie Ardern and Labour put the ban on petroleum exploration and resfused to nationalize our only refinery thus putting NZ at the mercy of the world economy for sources of petroleum. BTW, an electric aircraft capable of carrying 300+ tourists 1,000's of km to NZ (tourism is 8% of NZ economy) is a flat impossibility. Bye bye tourism.
Anon 240 loves $4 diesel. Probably never has had a desk job all his life, never been anywhere near a tractor.
Anon 3:28 Mate, I'm 82, white, European male,and have seen and done a lot. I've never had a desk (drone) job, but have made my living with my hands in the real world dealing with real stuff. I've run a 180 acre off-grid property for 10 years,(so have real experience of living on "alternative energy" solar panels and generators), had to maintain water systems,dirt roads (with a tractor) , cut back the bush (which had poison oak in it) for fire control. I've built musical instruments, fine furniture, and houses. For 17 years I cruised the Pacific on 5 of my own yachts doing ALL the hard work with my brain and my hands. I hand-steered my yacht for 18 hours during a 100kt tropical cyclone with 12m seas in the Coral Sea. Been there done that mate, not like these woke ivory tower neo-Marxist university types who would have shit their pants in that storm. These are the same idiots who claim Maori discovered Antarctica in their waka wearing feather cloaks!!! I saved my money, didn't have kids by choice (saved myself a lot of $ that way and have no regrets), didn't blow my $ on booze and drugs. I can easily live with $4 petrol for my 30 year old car. That's MY life and I've had a great time. Let's hear about YOUR life mate.
Anon 504 what is it about $4 diesel that is so appealing to you? I know a lot of folks doing it tough over this nonsense.
Anon 5.04, relax mate, unfortunately the deluded leftie is far too difficult to reach. It will never sink in that it was comrade ardern and co that had to import dirty coal as she ran out of energy on her watch.
2021 - labour had 34000 houses plunged into cold darkness in the middle of winter as power blackouts started.
2022 - Labour closed Marsden Point refinery
2022 - labour aims for 100% renewable sufficient by 2030, but had to start importing coal as the energy crisis continues. Ironic really.
2018 - labour placed a ban on all oil and gas exploration.
2 of those major stuff ups have really caused a large chunk of our issues now.
People (especially the left) need to get a grip on reality that if they want to remain warm in their cosy little house wrapped in their Palestinian flags, while imagining up new genders, need to leave the sensible adult decisions to those who actually know what they are doing.
How much diesel does Anon 815 think comes from Palestine? This poor soul seems rather lost.
Anon 10:05 The point to Anon's 8:15 comment, which you obviously missed, is that Palestine has absoutely NOTHING to do with the situation here in NZ and that the Greens, led by that paragon of intelligence Chloe baby, waste their time and energy and influence in government (and our patience) doing their strident "look at us we're so morally correct and you're so evil" tantrum instead of facing up to the reality of the situation HERE. You think that Chloe, a lesbian, or her "they/them" supporters would be welcomed into a hard-line Muslim country? If they love the Palestinians so much, why don't they go there and offer to get their hands dirty?
Anon 8.30 and 8.15 perfectly illustrate the shallowness of thinking displayed by too many contributors to this platform. You can't refine anything at Marsden Point if the crude oil feedstock fails to turn up. It would be more useful to debate what level of strategic reserves need to be held than where the stuff is made. And as as been said over and again, Government did NOT close the refinery. It was owned by a public company whose shareholders decided it was uneconomic and it would be cheaper to import refined product. Nothing political about that, however many times Anon 8.15 and fellow travellers repeat that lie.
10.48, I did mention that the leftie cant grasp reality, i actually dont think his comprehension is that of a 5 yo, else he might of understood.
I have offered, so many times to pay for any leftie to go to Palestine and fight with their terrorist group they love supporting. A free trip.
Not 1, I repeat 1, has taken me up on my generous offer.
I extend that offer to anon 10.05. He won't take me up on it, they are just hypocrites.
Truth and facts hurt the left. A person's character and reliability relies entirely on solid facts and expert opinions—and this chap 10.05 has neither.
Anon 815 has an insightful take. I don’t know if they know that the nationality of a flag affects its heating or cooling properties, but what that has to do with the price of $4 diesel is lost on this man. Explain the link of flags to an isolated pacific country getting in bed with a war torn region to provide its energy needs? This is such a confusing topic. Trump has a lot to answer for, as does Peters and Luxon.
Jonsey, you are blatently wrong. It was shut down in 2022. Fact.
Ir qas converted into an import terminal and is operated cy channel infrastructure of which im a large shareholder of.
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