{"id":11695,"date":"2026-03-31T15:55:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T02:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/?p=11695"},"modified":"2026-03-31T15:55:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T02:55:27","slug":"schools-warn-they-may-not-stay-open-without-government-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/?p=11695","title":{"rendered":"Schools Warn They May Not Stay Open Without Government Support"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A breakdown on todays Fuel Crisis Stories by Colin Ambler\/cvnznews.com<br><strong>No official supply figures were released today<\/strong>, but the Government maintains that <strong>New Zealand remains in Phase 1<\/strong> of its National Fuel Plan, meaning <strong>no formal rationing yet<\/strong>\u2014though all sectors are signalling escalating pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">PPTA says schools cannot remain open without urgent intervention as fuel costs climb and travel becomes increasingly unaffordable for teachers and families.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Government insists it wants to avoid a return to online learning, but PPTA says that\u2019s unrealistic without <strong>\u201chard data and hard support.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PPTA is urgently surveying <strong>21,000 teachers<\/strong> to understand travel distances, costs, and the likelihood of staff being unable to reach schools.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Census data shows <strong>44% of students rely on cars<\/strong> to get to school\u2014making rising fuel costs a direct threat to attendance. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bottom line:<\/strong> Schools are bracing for disruption, and the Ministry of Education will soon face pressure to fund mileage, transport, or alternative arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sole Traders Turning Down Work as Fuel Costs Bite Hard<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>New data from Hnry shows the crisis is <strong>reshaping how 400,000 sole traders operate<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Business trips claiming fuel\/mileage have dropped <strong>30% in a month<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Total distance travelled has fallen <strong>50%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tradies\u2019 average fuel transaction has dropped from <strong>$81.03 to $62.29<\/strong>, indicating smaller top-ups or staying closer to home.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some are <strong>leaving trailers on-site<\/strong> to reduce fuel burn; others are cutting supplier trips entirely.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hnry warns that sole traders have <strong>no buffer<\/strong>, no fuel cards, and no procurement teams\u2014meaning they feel the shock first and hardest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bottom line:<\/strong> Work is being declined, travel zones are shrinking, and communities relying on local trades are already feeling the impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Home Support Workers to Rally Nationwide \u2014 \u201cApril Fuels Day\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Home support workers\u2014among the lowest-paid in the country\u2014say they can no longer afford to drive between clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Workers will rally on <strong>1 April<\/strong> in cities including Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Cambridge, Nelson, and Timaru.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They\u2019ll bring <strong>scooters, wheelbarrows, and toy cars<\/strong> to highlight the absurdity of current mileage rates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PSA says workers are choosing between <strong>feeding their families or fuelling their cars<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Legal action has been filed alleging Health NZ is unlawfully requiring workers to cover vehicle costs for essential travel. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bottom line:<\/strong> The care sector is at breaking point, and the Government is under pressure to immediately raise mileage allowances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> <strong>ASB Economic Forecast: Fuel Shock to Delay NZ\u2019s Recovery Until 2027<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>ASB\u2019s latest quarterly forecast paints a stark picture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The closure of the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> has pushed global oil prices sharply higher.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ASB has <strong>cut 2026 GDP growth forecasts by 1.6 percentage points<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Inflation is expected to rise to <strong>around 4% by mid\u20112026<\/strong>, driven by fuel, freight, and airfares.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The recovery previously expected in 2026 is now <strong>unlikely before 2027<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Households, tourism, and business investment will all take hits as fuel costs ripple through the economy. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bottom line:<\/strong> The fuel crisis isn\u2019t just a transport issue\u2014it\u2019s now a macroeconomic shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>TODAY\u2019S SUPPLY STATUS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>No new supply figures were released today.<\/strong><br>However, the Government says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>NZ remains in <strong>Phase 1<\/strong> of the National Fuel Plan (no restrictions).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fuel companies are cooperating with officials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NZ has <strong>sufficient stocks for now<\/strong>, but future supply is uncertain due to global instability. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/business\/590794\/government-reveals-details-of-fuel-crisis-rationing-plan-and-who-will-be-prioritised\">RNZ<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key triggers that could push NZ into Phase 2 or higher:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Export restrictions from overseas refineries<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drops of <strong>3+ days<\/strong> in national fuel stock levels<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fuel companies unable to fill future orders<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Breaches of minimum storage obligations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Major policy shifts in Australia or the IEA <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CVNZ News Takeaway<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>New Zealand is still officially \u201cfine\u201d on fuel supply\u2014but every frontline sector is now signalling strain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Schools<\/strong>: risk of closures without support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sole traders<\/strong>: cutting travel, turning down work<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Home support workers<\/strong>: nationwide protests<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economy<\/strong>: recovery delayed, inflation rising<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Government<\/strong>: preparing for rationing if global supply worsens<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A breakdown on todays Fuel Crisis Stories by Colin Ambler\/cvnznews.comNo official supply figures were released today, but the Government maintains that New Zealand remains in Phase 1 of its National Fuel Plan, meaning no formal rationing yet\u2014though all sectors are signalling escalating pressure. PPTA says schools cannot remain open without urgent intervention as fuel costs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[412,913,966,178,113],"coauthors":[446],"class_list":{"0":"post-11695","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-education","9":"tag-fuel-crisis","10":"tag-healthcare","11":"tag-iran","12":"tag-new-zealand"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11695"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11696,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11695\/revisions\/11696"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11695"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcoauthors&post=11695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}