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# Government keeps $50 fuel payment despite price trigger being met
- URL: https://goodoil.news/government-keeps-50-fuel-payment-despite-price-trigger-being-met/
- Published: 2026-08-03T23:05:39.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-04T04:48:32.000Z
- Description: “Given increases in the international oil price..."
- Author: Centrist
- Tags: News

Summarised by [Centrist](https://centrist.nz/?ref=goodoil.news)

**The government has decided to retain its $50-a-week fuel payment for working families, despite petrol prices meeting the threshold previously set for ending the support.**

**The payment and increased mileage rates for home and community support workers were introduced in March and April as “timely, temporary, targeted” measures during the global fuel crisis.**

The government said the assistance would remain for either 12 months or until the average price of 91 petrol stayed below $3 a litre for four consecutive weeks.

MBIE figures show that condition has now been met. However, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said prices climbed back above $3 last week, prompting Cabinet to keep the support in place.

“Given increases in the international oil price, prices could remain above $3 into the coming weeks,” Willis said.

Treasury forecasters expect petrol prices to remain above $3 throughout August and September before declining again.

Willis said it was therefore “too soon to declare a sustained stabilisation in the fuel price”.

She will report back to Cabinet if the price falls below $3 again, meaning the payment could still be withdrawn before the original 12-month period expires.

The decision effectively makes the previously announced four-week cut-off discretionary, with Cabinet looking beyond the formal trigger to expected future petrol prices.

[**Read more over at Stuff**](https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361015032/government-keeps-fuel-support-working-families-now?ref=goodoil.news)

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