New Zealand’s fuel now comes almost entirely from overseas refineries, mainly in Asia (especially South Korea and Singapore), with smaller volumes from other Asia–Pacific producers.

Quick Scoop: Where NZ Fuel Comes From

  • New Zealand imports almost 100% of its petrol, diesel and jet fuel as already‑refined product.
  • The old Marsden Point refinery in Northland used to refine crude oil for about 70% of our needs, but it shut in 2022 and is now an import terminal only.
  • Most fuel now comes from large refineries in Asia , with South Korea and Singapore the dominant sources; Korea supplied about 48% and Singapore about 33% of fuel import value in the year to March 2025.
  • Historically, crude oil was imported mainly from the Middle East and some from Australia, but that crude is no longer refined here.
  • NZ does produce some high‑quality crude oil (mainly off Taranaki), but it is almost all exported to places like Australia and Singapore because Marsden Point was not designed to process it.

How the system works now

  • Five main companies (bp, Mobil, Z Energy, Gull, Timaru Oil Services) bring refined fuel into the country.
  • Fuel arrives by tanker to big terminals such as Marsden Point, Mount Maunganui, Wellington and Lyttelton , then moves by pipeline (like the Ruakākā–Auckland pipeline) and road tankers around the country.
  • Marsden Point alone handles around 40% of imported fuel and is crucial for Auckland’s supply.

Mini “story” version

Once, New Zealand brought in crude oil from the Middle East, refined most of it at Marsden Point, and topped up with some imported petrol and diesel from nearby refineries.

After 2022, the refinery switched off and the model flipped: now NZ buys finished fuel from mega‑refineries in Korea, Singapore and other Asian hubs, brings it straight into coastal terminals, and pushes it by pipe and truck to service stations and airports.

Simple HTML table of key points

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Aspect Before 2022 After 2022 (now)
Main fuel source Mix of imported crude oil and some refined fuel Almost all imported refined petrol, diesel, jet fuel
Key facility Marsden Point operated as a refinery, supplying ~70% of NZ’s fuel Marsden Point operates as an import and storage terminal only
Main supplying regions Crude mainly from Middle East; refined fuel from Singapore, Australia, South Korea, Americas Refined fuel mainly from South Korea and Singapore; other Asia–Pacific refineries also contribute
Domestic oil production NZ crude produced but largely exported; refinery not suited to process it Still exported; NZ fuel demand still met by imports
**TL;DR:** NZ fuel mostly comes from big refineries in South Korea and Singapore (plus other Asian hubs) and arrives as finished petrol, diesel and jet fuel through ports like Marsden Point, rather than being refined here from crude.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.