Fuel price hike hits rural women hard

Some rural service centres could be threatened with recession as country people avoid travelling to town, or even move out, because of rocketing petrol prices.

Women's Institute spokeswoman Ann Jackson, who lives about 15km from Masterton in Wairarapa, estimated her single-income family's petrol costs had "about doubled" in the past two years.

Fuel prices have risen 25 per cent since December and economists predict no relief for at least two years.

Mrs Jackson said she used to go to town almost every day, but now limited trips to about thrice a week.

"My husband has no choice - he has to commute about 80km a day for work."

However, she said it was easier for her because she did not have any dependent children.

"People who live in much more isolated areas than us are really feeling the pinch." Many sole parent families had moved to the area to live cheaply - but that was no longer possible.

"It used to be you could rent an old farm labourer's house for next to nothing and send your kids to the local school. But now the local country schools are all closed and there aren't always bus services to the towns."

When going into Wellington for Women's Institute meetings, she and other Wairarapa members tended to car pool to save costs.

The national president of the Women's Institute, Avis Rishworth, said many of her rural members were being hit hard by the massive petrol prices over the last year.

Mrs Rishworth, who lives at Tuapeka West, about 40km from the nearest town, Balclutha, said it had hit her farming household hard.

"It's certainly affecting the costs in agriculture. Talking with my neighbours, getting in contractors to do anything is going to be prohibitively expensive for many people."

She said about 48 per cent of Women's Institute members were rural women, and she was particularly concerned that those with young families would find it "hard to cope."

"They have no choice but to go into town for schools, doctors, dentists, etc. On one hand, we choose to live where we live, but we are caught in a vicious circle. It seems every day prices creep up a little further."

Not only did country people have to buy more fuel because they had greater distances to travel, but they were paying more for it, she said.

- NZPA