Column by Porirua City Mayor, Anita Baker
There’s no getting around it — the fuel situation is biting, and I know a lot of households across Porirua are feeling it right now.
When prices spike like this, it’s not an abstract issue. It shows up straight away at the pump, in the grocery bill, and in the weekly juggle of getting to work, getting the kids where they need to be, and keeping everything ticking over. That pressure is real, and it’s being felt right across our city.
From the Council’s side, our job is to stay practical, keep essential services running, and do what we can to reduce our own fuel use so we’re not adding to the problem.
We’re keeping a close, day-to-day watch on the situation locally. One of the first things we’ve done is identify the infrastructure that absolutely has to keep going no matter what — things like wastewater pump stations that rely on diesel. Those are non-negotiable, and we’re planning around them accordingly.
At the same time, we’re asking our own staff to make sensible adjustments where they can. That means using public transport if it’s an option, or carpooling if it’s not. We already have flexible working arrangements in place, including up to two days working from home with manager approval, and many teams have set “anchor days” in the office to make sure services continue to run smoothly.
One thing that is helping is work we’d already started before this current spike. We’ve been steadily reducing our reliance on fuel where we can, and that’s now paying off.
At Pātaka, we’ve already moved from gas boilers to electric heat pumps. At Te Rauparaha Arena, we’re in the process of doing the same, with both gas boilers being replaced by mid-year. That’s a long-term shift, but it also means less exposure to fuel price shocks like this one.
Across our fleet, we now have 11 fully electric passenger vehicles and three electric mobile plant vehicles. The utility vehicles we brought in last year are hybrid utes, which use significantly less fuel than the older models. We’ve also reduced the size of our fleet, removing two internal combustion vehicles altogether.
There are smaller changes that add up as well. Our cemetery and nursery operations have now transitioned to fully electric small equipment — things like mowers, chainsaws and blowers. In total, 53 pieces of small plant have been converted to electric where it makes sense to do so.
Even in areas where we still rely on fuel, we’re working to use less of it. The introduction of a compactor truck, for example, has reduced the number of trips needed to the landfill.
And importantly, before prices really took off, our workshop team made sure all of our emergency management equipment was serviced and fully fuelled. That means if we do face another event on top of this — weather or something else — we’re ready to respond.
None of this solves the immediate pressure households are under. I know that. But it does mean your Council is doing its part to stay resilient, keep costs under control where we can, and protect the services people rely on every day.
We’ll keep monitoring the situation closely and adjusting as needed. In the meantime, I’d encourage everyone to look out for each other, share lifts where you can, and make the small changes that help take a bit of pressure off.
We’ve been through tough periods before as a city, and we’ve always come through them by sticking together and focusing on what we can control. That approach matters just as much now.