Category: DJF

Source: Radio New Zealand

A freight company is warning New Zealand faces sharply higher freight prices, rising living costs, and months‑long delivery delays as the impact of the Iran conflict spreads through global supply chains.

Rocket Freight said local road transport carriers had already increased fuel charges by more than 30 percent.

Director Lisa Coleman said the escalating costs would hit consumers across the board.

“It’s everywhere, it’s affecting everyone, and it will come down to the last dollar for every single person in New Zealand,” she said.

“Every product that arrives on shelves will be affected.”

Coleman said air freight was also squeezed.

Dubai-based Emirates – the largest air freight operator in the country – had halted operations, and remaining carriers had immediately added war and fuel surcharges, she said.

With only two main air freight providers still serving New Zealand, and a number of airlines yet to return after the pandemic, Coleman said competition was limited and prices had jumped, particularly for outsized cargo.

While she said some increases were understandable, “a lot of it looks like a marketing ploy and a money grab”.

Seaborne freight also disrupted

Ocean freight faced similar pressures.

Coleman said international shipping lines had introduced a “war risk surcharge” of up to 50 percent on marine transit policies.

Many vessels were avoiding the Middle East entirely, re-routing around southern Africa – adding up to 40 days to transit times and significantly increasing fuel costs.

The closure of Dubai – a critical global hub – had thrown container schedules into disarray, leaving vessels out of position and disrupting logistics chains.

“All the trade routing we would normally use is changing. It’s all fluctuating – nobody knows when cargo is going to get here,” Coleman said.

Some shipping lines also invoked force majeure, the contractual mechanism that freed them from delivery obligations during events such as war, natural disasters, or government action.

In several cases, Coleman said cargo had been offloaded at the nearest safe port.

“Then you have to negotiate to get that container picked up from wherever it ended up, put on a different ship, and get it over here.”

Force majeure events were not covered by insurance, because they were treated as acts of war.

The only stable spot, for now, was freight to Australia and China – though Coleman expected prices on those routes to rise as fuel costs continued to climb.

Delays, fuel concerns, and the risk of rationing

Coleman said US-bound freight was already chaotic under the existing tariff environment, but she was increasingly worried about New Zealand’s ability to draw down fuel reserves at an affordable cost if the crisis intensified.

“The supply is obviously going to be our biggest worry. This country will absolutely stop if we have to start fuel‑rationing,” she said.

Coleman said rising transport costs would ripple through every part of the supply chain.

“It comes down to that loaf of bread – it’s going to increase dramatically just because of transport costs.”

Consumers and businesses should expect higher prices and significant delays, she said, warning major household goods not currently in stock could now take months to arrive.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/09/iran-conflict-sparks-freight-chaos-new-zealand-faces-soaring-costs-and-months-long-delays/

Source: Radio New Zealand

The High Court has penalised two companies $420,000 over an acquisition that substantially lessened competition in the wood shavings market.

The Commerce Commission filed proceedings against Alderson Logistics and associated company Supa Shavings, over the acquisition of ABS Carriers in 2022.

Pre-acquisition, ABS and Supa Shavings were the largest suppliers of bulk wood shavings in Waikato.

“The companies were each other’s closest competitors and, when those assets were acquired, that competition was eliminated,” commission chair John Small said.

“The Commission was not notified about the acquisition, so this case is an important reminder that while our clearance regime is voluntary, we can take action against mergers or acquisitions where clearance was not sought.”

The case also marked the first time the commission asked a business to divest the acquired assets.

However, the commission said a deal to sell ABS fell through, meaning the divestment did not happen.

In her judgement, Justice Gardiner noted Alderson and Supa Shavings accepted they gained commercially from the deal for about 13 months, until a shavings supply shock in June 2023 affected their profitability.

Small said it was vital for firms to understand their obligations under the Commerce Act.

“While divestment was unsuccessful in this case, this shows the array of enforcement actions available to us,” he said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/09/fine-handed-down-after-acquisition-of-wood-shavings-company-lessened-competition/

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand and Asian share markets have tumbled as concerns mount about over the war in the Middle East and its impact on the world economy.

The benchmark NZX 50 fell 3 percent in mid-Monday afternoon trading, while across the Tasman, the ASX 200 fell 4 percent.

In Japan, the Nikkei plunged 6 percent.

It comes as global oil prices surge amid supply concerns, with travel through the vital Strait of Hormuz at a halt.

The benchmark Brent Crude rose to its highest level since 2022, as prices surged past US$100 a barrel, to settle at around $108.

Forsyth Barr investment adviser Mark Fowler said investors were nervous.

“I think the markets are starting to really speculate about how protracted this conflict is going to be in the Middle East,” he said. “And we’ve seen this enormous surge in oil prices.”

Fowler said there was potential for a global economic shock as prices flow through.

“Markets are starting to realise the reality of that sort of inflationary pressure,” he said.

“Everyone thought that this would be a short-term shock, but if it’s more medium-term, what are the wider ramifications for global markets? And you’re really starting to see concerns around that now.”

Kiwibank economists said “things are likely to get worse before they get better”.

“We’re bracing for much higher volatility, with a bigger market reaction in the near term,” they said.

“Our hope [is] that markets rebound quickly once the dust settles, as they did in 2022 following the Russia and Ukraine crisis period.”

Kiwibank said with disruptions to oil, gas and shipping, an immediate lift in inflation was “all but a done deal”.

“But the downside risks to global and domestic growth cannot be ignored either,” they said. “And ultimately, under this kind of supply shock induced inflation, it’s the damage to demand that is likely to dominate.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/09/asian-and-new-zealand-share-markets-tumble/