Story: Oil and gas

NZ motor spirit (2nd of 3)

NZ motor spirit

A motorist fills up his car with petrol refined from Taranaki crude oil. The domestic oil industry was small scale and largely restricted to Taranaki, where New Zealand-produced petrol was sold from New Plymouth pumps. Local entrepreneur William Fossey travelled the North Island over the 1930s and 1940s selling oil products made at the New Plymouth refinery. New Plymouth buses ran on local diesel until the small refinery closed in 1975.

Using this item

Puke Ariki - Taranaki Museum & Library
Reference: LN0-000D

This item must not be copied or reproduced in any print or electronic media without the prior permission of Puke Ariki Museum and Library. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Roger Gregg and Carl Walrond, 'Oil and gas - Early petroleum exploration, 1865–1960', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/8923/nz-motor-spirit (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Roger Gregg and Carl Walrond, published 12 Jun 2006