A Dunedin solo mum, a pair of self-employed workers in Southland and support workers shared with the Otago Daily Times the impact the rising cost of fuel was having on their lives.
It came as Terry Collins, principal policy adviser at the AA, warned petrol prices were likely to remain volatile for a while as the international conflict around Iran affected oil prices, he said.
Single mum Nicole Chappell, of Dunedin, said she was spending more and more at the pump and her children were bearing the brunt.
She could no longer afford to get her three children to sports practices and that could mean they might be forced to stop playing, or would have to rely on other parents to get them there, she said.
She had cut back on groceries, axed family activities and a holiday just to keep the lights on.
"It makes me feel like a horrible mum that I’m not able to give my kids the basics, the essentials."
Amelia Van de Klundert said she and her partner were self-employed delivery drivers in the Southland region.
On the Otago Daily Times Facebook page, readers were also worried for people such as support workers, whose jobs were not highly paid but were vital and required them to travel a lot.
Others expressed concern about the possible increase in petrol thefts.
Mr Collins said even when petrol prices rose, people still needed transport, so that became an extra cost.
As of yesterday morning, the cheapest petrol price in Dunedin was $2.62 per litre, while the most expensive in the South was $3.04 per litre at BP Cromwell.
Oil prices remain volatile as the Iran conflict continues. The benchmark Brent Crude oil price was about US$87 a barrel yesterday, after reaching $US115 a barrel on Monday.
