where does nz get oil from

New Zealand now gets almost all its petrol, diesel, and jet fuel as refined oil products imported from large refineries in Asia, mainly Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia, with Korea and Singapore especially dominant in recent years.

Quick Scoop: Where NZ gets its oil from

• New Zealand is a net importer of oil and refined fuel; it uses more than it produces.

• Since Marsden Point refinery stopped refining in 2022, NZ mostly imports finished fuels (petrol, diesel, jet) instead of crude oil.

• In 2023, the biggest sources of refined oil products were:
  • Singapore (largest by volume in 2023)

* South Korea

* Malaysia

• By value of fuel imports over the 12 months to March 2025:
  • Korea supplied about 48% of the value of fuel imports.

* Singapore supplied about 33%.

* The rest came from other Asian suppliers including Australia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Qatar, and Brunei over time.

Even though NZ buys its fuel from refineries in Asia, the price you pay at the pump is still heavily influenced by Middle East crude benchmarks (especially Dubai crude), because those refineries are buying crude tied to Middle Eastern prices.

In short: NZ fuel mostly comes from big refineries in Korea and Singapore, plus some Malaysia and other Asian suppliers, and the price is still driven by Middle Eastern crude in the background.