BusinessNZ has made its case to ministers as to why the food and grocery sector should be put in the highest priority level of any fuel rationing framework.
It's estimated that almost 13 percent of the country's bee colonies were lost last winter and losses attributed to varroa mite were especially high in the lower South Island.
Authorities across the North Island are preparing for a potentially life-threatening storm that could cause flooding, power cuts, slips and road closures.
It's still likely Cyclone Vaianu will hit the country this weekend, meteorologists say, as they turns their eyes to modelling to predict the path of the storm.