Waitomo takes cheaper petrol south
Cost-cutting fuel supplier Waitomo Group has followed its recent move into the Wellington market with plans to open a fuel station in central Christchurch.
Hamilton-based Waitomo Group had identified the South Island, where fuel prices were significantly higher than in the North Island, as key to its expansion plans, managing director Jimmy Ormsby said.
Fuel prices at Waitomo’s selfservice outlets were about 30 cents a litre cheaper than competing brands, he said.
‘‘Kiwis have been hurting at the pump, especially in areas where Waitomo doesn’t operate,’’ Ormsby said.
‘‘That’s certainly the case for Mainlanders, where motorists are still missing out on the benefits of the price competition we’ve been driving.’’
One of the reasons Waitomo was able to gain a toehold in the South Island was because it had an arrangement to obtain supplies from Mobil’s Lyttelton and Woolston terminals.
Established in Te Kuiti more than 70 years ago by Desmond Ormsby, Waitomo Group now has more than 50 fuel stops stretching from Paihia in the north and as far south as Foxton.
It recently announced that it would open a station next year in Wellington, which has also borne the brunt of higher fuel prices.
The Christchurch station will mark the first stage of Waitomo’s move into the South Island.
‘‘We’ve started the process to secure a site in central Christchurch and we hope to be pumping fuel by the end of 2019. We’re continuing to identify other sites in the South Island where we believe we can establish ourselves and continue disrupting New Zealand’s retail fuel market,’’ Ormsby said.
‘‘We’ve got the supply lines sorted and all the service providers are in place to support the new fuel stop. It’s full steam ahead in Christchurch.’’