Deterring the honest thief

Petrol drive-offs have increased by 100 thefts a week, since the price of fuel surged earlier in the year.

Since the beginning of March, 2026, police have laid over 370 charges for petrol drive-offs, and burglaries where diesel was targeted.

In a statement, assistant commissioner of road policing and district support ,Tusha Penny, said that police are taking their response to this type of crime “seriously”, and added, “we are expecting that the number of charges will continue to rise.”

Rural communities are a growing focus, particularly where large volumes of diesel are stored.

Ashburton area response manager, Senior Sergeant Janine Bowden, said police are monitoring the trend and encouraging preventative measures, such as locking tanks, improving lighting in storage areas, and keeping fuel out of sight.

“We urge people to contact police immediately when they see any suspicious activity,” Bowden said.

“This will help us to respond quickly, so we can hold offenders to account.”

For local farmers who depend on access to fuel, and often store diesel on-site, rising fuel theft is a real concern.

David Acland, Federated Farmers Mid Canterbury provincial president, explained that although fuel use is typically lower in autumn, farmers are very concerned about costs and security heading into spring.

“We're probably fortunate at the timing, with it being autumn at the moment. The concern is, what's going to be the scenario come springtime?”

Acland’s advice to Ashburton farmers is simple: make sure fuel facilities are locked; don’t leave machinery with fuel on board parked, or in isolated areas where people can access it; keep your fuel well-lit.

“You just don't want to make it easy for people,” Acland said.

“It’s about deterring the honest thief.”

Diesel burglary, rising from 20 offences per week at the start of March, to more than 50 offences a week in April, can cost farmers thousands of dollars in stolen fuel and property damage.

Thieves frequently target large volumes of privately stored fuel, with some incidents involving more than 1,000 litres of stolen diesel, according to national reports.

As increased demand for fuel spurs theft, Acland said the rising costs will likely have a roll-on effect, which may become more obvious after winter.

“Depending on what we're getting paid for our milk or our lamb at that point in time, is what will determine how comfortable people are spending on fuel and petroleum fertilizer,” Acland said.

“I don't think it's going to have an effect on production, but in the past, fertilizer has been rationed back when the price has reached that point where people just can't afford it in the short term.”

For arable farmers, it's a “hot fuel-use” time of year.

“For the rest of us, the impact of the fuel prices are painful right now, but the proportion of our spend at the moment is not super high on the fuel side of things,” Acland told the Guardian.

“We're not using machines a lot right at this time of year, so it's more the indirect impact to us with the inflation or effects of that, petroleum based fertilizers and that sort of thing.”

In the meantime, New Zealand Police are encouraging everyone to report any “out-of-the-ordinary” events.

“Offenders should know we are focused on them,” assistant commissioner Penny said.