The role of Trading Standards

What we do

Under the national fuel quality monitoring scheme, Trading Standards (part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment), organises the testing of petrol and diesel samples to ensure oil companies are complying with the Engine Fuel Specifications Regulations. We test approximately 30–40 samples each month.

Testing under the scheme concentrates on the fuel’s most critical properties, such as octane number, benzene level, contaminants, aromatics, water in diesel, and sulphur content.

Using a statistical sampling plan, the scheme takes account of the market share of each oil company and the volume of sales for each region.

See How fuel is monitored in New Zealand for more information.