Pattrick Smellie: Painted as price gougers, petrol companies deserve a chance to clear their names1 NEWS According to a Government report, petrol prices across the country may not be reasonable. READ MORE:* NZ's petrol price differences not acceptable, minister Judith Collins says* Inside New Zealand's mysterious fuel price plunge* Fuel prices: What costs go into a litre of petrol? Aside from some useful questions about why Wellington and South Island petrol margins are higher than elsewhere, this report is an exercise in carefully couched indecision. "We cannot definitely say that fuel prices in New Zealand are reasonable, and we have reason to believe that they might not be." But facing a report that plays straight into negative perceptions that fuel retailers are duplicitous price gougers, the sector deserves a chance to clear its name.

Source: Stuff July 04, 2017 01:52 UTC