Wellington, April 21 (IANS) New Zealand will provide targeted financial support to small, rural and isolated schools to ease pressure from rising fuel costs, a senior official has said.
“Global fuel price volatility is hitting some schools harder than others, particularly those that rely on diesel and where students face longer distances when travelling to and from school,” Education Minister Erica Stanford said in a statement.
The government will invest 37 million NZ dollars to replace diesel boilers at up to 70 schools nationwide, a move expected to cut annual diesel use by about 600,000 litres and protect schools from future fuel price shocks, reports Xinhua news agency, citing the statement.
All schools with under 100 students will receive one-off cash grants of 2,500 NZ dollars, Stanford was quoted as saying.
Transport support will also increase, with mileage reimbursement rates for relief teachers more than doubling and a 30 per cent rise in conveyance allowances for eligible families, benefiting around 5,000 students, she said.
The higher mileage rates will apply for up to 12 months or until fuel prices fall below 3 NZ dollars per litre for four consecutive weeks, Stanford added. (1 NZ dollar equals 0.59 US dollar)
Earlier on Friday, Stats NZ reported that New Zealand fuel prices surged in March, while food costs showed a modest annual rise.
Petrol and diesel prices climbed 18.6 per cent and 42.6 per cent from February to March, the largest increases for both fuel types since monthly tracking began in July 2011, according to the statistics department.
The rise followed falls for both petrol and diesel in January and February, it said, adding that on an annual basis, petrol prices were up 13.9 per cent and diesel up 36.9 per cent.
However, domestic airfares fell by 14.4 per cent month-on-month and were down 7.3 per cent in the 12 months to March 2026, while international fares rose 3.5 per cent in March and 9.8 per cent annually, statistics showed.
“Travellers typically book and pay for airfares in advance, so price changes reflect fares that were set up to 12 months ago,” Stats NZ prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden was quoted as saying.
Food prices increased 3.4 per cent in the year to March, easing from a 4.5 per cent annual rise in the year to February. Higher meat, poultry and fish prices, up 7.3 per cent, led the annual increase, Stats NZ said.
On a monthly basis, food prices dipped 0.6 per cent in March compared with February, driven by cheaper fruits and vegetables like kiwifruit, as well as lower grocery items such as chocolate and cheese, it said.
–IANS
sd/
