Nick Mills: Is the Government giving mixed messages over fuel supply?

EDITORIAL: Let’s just call this out for what it is, because I think a lot of people are thinking the same as me here.  When I saw Nicola Willis standing there at Marsden Point—hard hat on, big fuel tanker behind her—telling us we’ve got seven weeks of fuel supply,  I thought, right… we get it. Message received.  But then it quickly turned from reassurance into something else entirely.   It started to feel like a staged photo opportunity at a time when the country should be in serious, disciplined mode.  Mixed messages, anyone?  Because here’s the reality—this isn’t business as usual.   We’ve got a very volatile situation in the Middle East, real disruption risks through the Strait of Hormuz, and global oil prices already climbing.  This can turn quickly. Especially tomorrow afternoon when Trumps deadline runs out.  And if/when it does, countries like New Zealand—at the end of the supply chain and fully reliant on imported refined fuel—are exposed. That’s not opinion. That’s fact.  And then I started thinking… could she have delivered that exact same message from Wellington? From her office? With the right backdrop?  Because think about it. Car to the airport. Flight to Auckland. Car to Marsden Point. Car back to the airport. Flight home. Car back home  Is that really the signal we want to send to New Zealanders right now? Be careful with fuel… while we burn it for optics?  Mixed messages.  So when the Government tells us we’ve got seven weeks’ supply, but in the same breath says that depends on ships continuing to arrive—that’s not comforting.   That’s conditional. That’s “we’re okay… as long as nothing else goes wrong.”  And in a situation like this, plenty can go wrong.  Which brings me back to the optics.   If fuel security genuinely matters—if we may need to prioritise who gets fuel and when—then every decision should reflect that seriousness.   Every litre should matter.  So why in the world are we flying ministers around the country for what looks like a PR exercise?   Why are we burning aviation fuel to stand in front of a ship and tell us what we already know?  Mixed messages.  It sends the wrong signal.   It tells people this is still about presentation, not preparation.   About being seen to be in control, rather than actually tightening the screws and planning for worst scenarios.  And look—I understand the need for people to be reassured.   Markets are jittery. Households are hurting. No one wants panic.  But reassurance has to come with backed by behaviour.  You can’t tell people to brace for higher costs, hint at fuel prioritisation, and then carry on with business-as-usual optics.  So here’s the real question—what happens in five or six weeks if nothing improves?   Are we still rolling out the same message? Still relying on ships turning up on time?  Or are we finally forced into the harder decisions we should be preparing for right now?  Because from where I sit, this moment demands absolute seriousness.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.