Courier prices
Consumers could be forgiven for wondering when the price of sending parcels will drop. Fuel, after all, is a significant cost for courier vans.
New Zealand Post, owners of CourierPost, have good news for big business, not such great news for Joe Public.
"The drop in fuel prices will not immediately impact the cost of sending an item with Courier Post for customers who purchase services over the counter," a spokesman said.
The company said it only reviewed retail prices once a year.
Groceries
Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin said goods and services heavily dependent on fuel and petrochemicals should in theory be getting cheaper, including supermarket products that landed on shelves courtesy of diesel-powered trucks.
Supermarket giants Foodstuffs and Progressive Enterprises said fuel played only a small role in the price customers paid for groceries.
Both companies pledged to pass savings on to customers if possible.
"Fuel prices have only just dropped, as such the price we pay to our suppliers has not yet been impacted. If the wholesale price to us is reduced we will of course pass this on to our customers," a Foodstuffs spokeswoman said.
"Generally suppliers include their freight costs as part of what they charge us and would hopefully pass on any fuel savings," a Countdown spokeswoman said.
Countdown said for every $100 a customer spent in its stores, only 18c was related to fuel.
Prices in rural areas
In many rural areas, diesel generators are the sole electricity source. On Stewart Island, households, boats and industries rely on diesel.
Households get their power from five diesel generators, which Southland District Council said operated as a not-for-profit venture.
Southland District Council councillor Bruce Ford predicted prices would drop for the island.
"We have bought up to $500,000 worth a year, so that will reduce by whatever percentage it's come down - so that's quite a lot."
Farmers were also expecting to reap the benefits of lower fuel prices.
Federated Farmers transport spokesman Ian Mackenzie said it should be especially noticeable in the costs for transporting stock and equipment.
Farm costs generally should be expected to fall, he said.
"For farmers this means costs in their downstream processing should reduce, and so should the prices we pay for physical inputs, such as fertilisers, but also for agriculture chemicals, transport and contracting."
Freight surcharges
John Fryer, who founded House of Knives in 1987, was aghast at surcharges he was still paying for air freight.
Mr Fryer's company imported knives and cooking equipment from Europe and believed many fellow retailers and importers were fed up with high freight surcharges.
On a 245kg shipment from Europe on Thai Airways last month, Hellmann Logistics invoiced Mr Fryer's company $937.05 for freight and $511.12 for an airline freight surcharge.
Mr Fryer said he recently discussed the issue with a logistics professional. On asking why freight surcharges weren't falling in line with the crude oil drop, he was told airlines were dragging their heels.
"I thought: What the hell's going on?"
The consumer
Ms Chetwin said other products that could get cheaper included paint, plumbing equipment, plastic bags, nylon products and rope.
She also said consumers were right to expect some fish prices to fall, given the pivotal role fuel played in powering boats, and the trucks that took fish from the coast to supermarkets.
The issue is a global one.
The Guardian newspaper suggested various goods and services would get cheaper, including condoms, at least those made from polyurethane. But a Durex New Zealand customer service staffer said Durex's products were latex-derived so the crude oil price wouldn't affect this.
- NZME., additional reporting by Rebecca Quilliam
