The war has pushed fuel to records
+55.8%
Diesel prices, year to September 2026
Petrol rose 24.3%. Stats NZ ties the rise to supply disruptions that began in late February, and prices climbed again in August and September after easing in July.
Across every category
Three forces shaping the quarter
Grocery prices are starting to climb
3.0%
Grocery food inflation, September, up from 1.7% in August
Overall food inflation rose to 2.4%, the fastest since June. Petrol was the main driver of 3.7% annual inflation in the September quarter.
Source Trading Economics (Stats NZ), 15 Oct · interest.co.nz (Stats NZ), 22 Oct
Costs reach the shelf with a lag
1.9%
Grocery supplier cost rise, year to July
Supplier cost increases were milder than first feared, but freight costs had spiked and the direction of fuel prices was uncertain.
Source Infometrics, 14 Aug
Fuel & lubricants
The Middle East war has driven pump prices to a record.
Diesel up 55.8% and petrol up 24.3% on a year earlier
In September alone, diesel rose 7.8% and petrol 6.4%. Stats NZ said prices were above March levels but below the April peak.
Petrol and diesel up nearly 30c a litre since the start of September
Renewed turmoil in the Middle East took 91 to $3.30 and diesel to $3.04. The road carriers' association said food and dairy deliveries would continue, with the extra cost absorbed for now.
Source 1News, 22 Sep
Average 91 petrol tops $3.50, an all-time high
Brent crude stayed above US$100, the New Zealand dollar was weak, and Chinese refiners suspended some exports, including to Singapore, which supplies much of New Zealand's fuel.
Source 1News, 5 Oct
Petrol drives annual inflation to 3.7% in the September quarter
Petrol was 19.1% dearer than a year earlier. Without it, Stats NZ estimates annual inflation would have been 3.2%.
Food & grocery
Grocery prices are rising again, and freight costs have spiked.
Grocery food inflation rises to 3.0% in September
Overall food inflation rose to 2.4% from 1.9%. Fruit and vegetables fell 1.8%, but onion prices rose 86%, the largest annual rise since the series began in 2008.
Source Trading Economics (Stats NZ), 15 Oct · interest.co.nz (Stats NZ), 16 Oct
Grocery supplier costs up 1.9% in the year to July
Some fuel adjustment charges were reversed, but beef, lamb, pork and some produce got dearer, and freight costs spiked.
Source Infometrics, 14 Aug
The dairy co-operative lifts its milk price forecast
The midpoint rose to NZ$9.50 per kgMS from NZ$9.25 on stronger global demand, though management stays cautious on geopolitics.
Source Dairy News Today, 21 Sep
Vehicles
High fuel prices are pushing buyers toward electrified vehicles.
September registrations up 22%
Passenger vehicles rose 27.9% to 13,243 and light commercials 2.6%. Battery electric and plug-in hybrids were 28.7% of passenger registrations, up from 9.6% a year earlier.
Source Driven Car Guide, 6 Oct
