Auckland councillors have been bombarded with more than 200,000 emails urging them to oppose the latest proposed oil exploration plan.

Oil and gas company Greymouth Petroleum Holdings wants more than $830,000 in damages from a former director who was ordered by the High Court to sell his stake in his firm.

Oil prices closed higher after a volatile session that saw the New York price drop below US$44 a barrel for the first time since March 2009.

NZIER's monetary policy shadow board believes the Reserve Bank should leave the official cash rate on hold at 3.5 per cent tomorrow but that the next best option would be a cut.

People making the most of low petrol prices have been filling up containers, causing Z Energy to issue a warning about the risks of storing fuel at home.

The prospect of further rises in the Reserve Bank's official cash rate has disappeared over the horizon.

The New Zealand Superannuation Fund says it remains comfortable with its investment in the US oil and gas industry.

Oil prices have fallen dramatically. But it could take months for falling fuel prices - which feed into economic activity - to benefit consumers.

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

Plunging oil prices have forced explorers to scale back plans in New Zealand, some have had to restructure and there could be a sharp decline in capital spending in a sector the Government has backed....

Petrol prices have fallen again today, with 91 Octane up to four cents cheaper at major retailers than it was yesterday.

Australia's coal seam gas extraction industry is set for a bumper year in 2015, but the petroleum exploration sector isn't.

Petrol prices fell again today and more discounts are expected in days ahead.

Airfares should fall to reflect plummeting oil and jet fuel prices but airlines are stalling when it comes to delivering cheaper fares, consumer advocates say.

It has become standard for tough questions to be asked of oil companies when the price of petrol rises or falls dramatically.

Exceptionally low oil prices have thrown world financial markets a curve ball by driving bond yields sharply lower and undermining share prices.

Liam Dann writes: 2014 doesn't look like letting go early. In fact, like a good TV drama, it looks set to end on a cliff-hanger.

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

Russia's ruble was tanking on Tuesday faster than journalists could type, hitting levels against the dollar that were unimaginable even a week ago.

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

The dynamic of the new oil shock is moving fast - maybe too fast for the fragile global economic recovery, writes Liam Dann.

The collapsing oil price that is reshaping the global economy could derail the green energy revolution by making renewable power sources prohibitively bad value.

The sharp decline in oil and dairy prices could have a huge impact on the domestic economy as the former is our largest import item and the latter our biggest export earner.

Activists say they shut the Wellington offices of an oil company this morning to protest deep sea oil exploration.

Most of $8 million the Government is putting into mineral and oil and gas geotechnical studies will be spent on aerial aeromagnetic surveys.