Government spends up to 20 times more money on wooing oil and gas companies to New Zealand than it does on promoting renewable energy, newly released figures show.

BP New Zealand generated its smallest earnings in more than a decade due to falling oil prices.

The Commerce Commission has indicated a timeframe on when it expects to make a decision the acquisition.

Kiwis can now use a beer byproduct to fill their cars, with a new biofuel being unveiled at an Auckland service station today.

Airline profits are expected to almost double this year to US$29.3 billion - amounting to US$8.27 per passenger carried.

The boss of a Z Energy rival says its planned acquisition of Caltex operator Chevron NZ could impact competition in the fuel market.

Producer input and output prices fell in the first quarter, reflecting lower fuel costs and weakness in prices of meat and dairy products.

Shares in Qantas surged to their highest level in more than six years after it said the global drop in oil prices would help cut its fuel bill by A$550 million ($593 million) this year.

A new report claims to have disproved a well established urban myth that petrol companies are quick to raise petrol prices, but slow to drop them when prices fall.

Retailers are continuing to benefit from the boost to consumers' discretionary incomes from the fall in oil prices over the past year.

The results for the six months to December 2014 has been fairly lacklustre, with one notable exception, Brian Gaynor writes.

Virgin Australia is tipped to benefit more from fuel savings in the year's second half after reporting a sharp upturn in its latest trading update.

The golden run of cheaper petrol could be at an end with prices at the pump increasing for the first time in four months, AA says.

The falling petrol price has been a boon for the great Kiwi summer road trip but more big price drops look unlikely in the short term, says the AA.

Qantas will cut fuel surcharges but will replace them with higher base charges as the airline tries to improve margins.

The Automobile Association has called for a ministerial inquiry into the cost of fuel as an informal survey found variations of up to $1.34 at different sites around the country.

The price of petrol keeps plunging but the savings are yet to ignite discounts for consumers elsewhere in the economy.

Petrol prices dropped for the 12th successive time this week and even better news appears to lie ahead for holiday motorists.

The sharp fall in oil prices is set to continue benefiting consumers but could delay exploration projects around New Zealand.

Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon expects low oil prices to stimulate demand for travel but for their beneficial effect on the airline's fuel bill to be muted by the fall in the New Zealand dollar.

Lower petrol prices contributed to a 0.1 per cent fall in the amount consumers charged to electronic cards last month.

Lower fuel prices are compounding the longest commodity slump in a generation.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce says fuel prices falling more quickly than the Australian dollar are helping revive the airline's international division but he's not putting a date on when it will be out of financial trouble.

New Zealand-founded LanzaTech's quest to commercialise its biofuel has taken another step with one of the world's biggest banks.

Z Energy boss Mike Bennetts says the return of $2 a litre petrol could be on the cards if oil prices continue to plummet.

The immigration surge continued to gather pace last month, with the net inflow of 4270 people the second-largest monthly gain on record.

How's this for fuel economy? A Mercedes has travelled 1968 kilometres from North Africa to England without having to refuel - and still had another 160km in it.

The high New Zealand dollar is insulating this country from rising crude oil prices that have spurred fears for the global economic recovery.

Petrol prices are set to rise next week to their second highest level ever - thanks to a Government tax hike.