-- The New Zealand Government said it is preparing to remove or suspend regulatory barriers that make it harder for businesses and communities to cope with global fuel shocks, according to a Monday statement from Minister for Regulation David Seymour and Minister for Transport Chris Bishop.
The government is exploring several policy shifts, including allowing some heavy vehicles to carry more weight per trip, and bringing some license class weight thresholds for zero-emission vehicles in line with similar diesel vehicles.
The government is also considering relaxing time and access restrictions for over-dimension vehicles and removing some restrictions on the routes that over-dimension vehicles can use and when they can travel.
Seymour said that the Government intends to avoid a lockdown situation due to the oil shock and remain in the first phase of the National Fuel Response Plan for as long as possible.
The statement said that the government is considering all options so they can be implemented quickly if New Zealand moves to phase two, and they expect options to be ready by the end of April if needed.
In case the move to the second phase becomes less likely, some options could be reworked into more permanent changes to reduce the impact of elevated fuel prices on the economy over the medium to long-term, the statement added.