Refining NZ boss quits

The boss of Refining NZ, the company that owns the Marsden Point refinery and the fuel pipeline into Auckland, is stepping down.

Sjoerd Post will leave the company at the end of July after five years, it said in a statement.

As well as overseeing a $365 million upgrade, Post was in charge when the refinery to Auckland pipeline ruptured late in 2017, causing severe disruption to dozens of flights and stretching all fuel supplies into New Zealand’s largest city.

The company said Post told the board of directors of his intention to step down on Tuesday. He will stay in the role while a replacement is found.

‘‘Sjoerd has made an outstanding contribution over the length of his tenure, building a culture that is now strongly evident in the performance and resilience of the business,’’ chairman Simon Allen said.

‘‘His leadership during the disruption … in September last year has been widely recognised as a crucial factor in the rapid resolution of that crisis.’’

The pipeline, which supplies Auckland with almost all of its fuel, ruptured without warning, but the damage to it may have occurred up to three years earlier.

It is believed to have been caused by a digger searching for swamp kauri.

In December, the new Government ordered an inquiry into the fuel pipeline disruption, which will also assess whether New Zealand’s fuel supplies could be made more secure.

‘‘The inquiry will investigate not only the immediate causes of the outage, but also the maintenance and operation practices at the pipeline and if they are fit for purpose,’’ Energy Minister Megan Woods said when the inquiry was announced.