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Petrol rationing (petrol shortage-oil shortage)
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DescriptionMurray Saunders
tSi2Sponnsorhed ·
Anyone here remember the oil shortage In the late 70’s?
So we had fuel rationing.
The Govt of the day bought in “Carless days”
You where only allowed to drive your car 6 days of the week and nominate a day where you wouldn’t use it.
That day was printed on a sticker about 3” square and stuck to the top of your windscreen.
So my dad bought a 2nd car. Mini Minor 850. Brilliant little car. Red with black racing stripes.
Bought it off another school mate of mines old man (Allan Greene)think it was Greene’s Motors?
Small yard few doors down from the Rec Hotel. Was on the main drag town side.
Car sales went thru the Roof. Every one was buying 2nd cars.
My School Mate Jillian Richards (Maiden Name) old man bought a mini too.
Hers was an up spec model. Had the long throw gear change lever.
Think maybe an 1100.
Con Richards. Used to own the Rec Hotel.
Had the mini for awhile as I took it to trade school in Nelson.
Second pic courtesy Marie Summers.
tSi2Sponnsorhed ·
Anyone here remember the oil shortage In the late 70’s?
So we had fuel rationing.
The Govt of the day bought in “Carless days”
You where only allowed to drive your car 6 days of the week and nominate a day where you wouldn’t use it.
That day was printed on a sticker about 3” square and stuck to the top of your windscreen.
So my dad bought a 2nd car. Mini Minor 850. Brilliant little car. Red with black racing stripes.
Bought it off another school mate of mines old man (Allan Greene)think it was Greene’s Motors?
Small yard few doors down from the Rec Hotel. Was on the main drag town side.
Car sales went thru the Roof. Every one was buying 2nd cars.
My School Mate Jillian Richards (Maiden Name) old man bought a mini too.
Hers was an up spec model. Had the long throw gear change lever.
Think maybe an 1100.
Con Richards. Used to own the Rec Hotel.
Had the mini for awhile as I took it to trade school in Nelson.
Second pic courtesy Marie Summers.
From Facebook
CommentsDave Lyes
If you were an essential service worker you would get an "X" sticker for exemption. Seemed like everyone had one of those, hahaha. Dad was a shift worker nurse at Seaview Hospital so he had one.
Trish Barry Andrews
Dave Lyes we had 2 cars, Baz
Graeme Dumelow
Dave Lyes ha ha yes, I brought a Ford 315 about then. It had an x sticker on it with a different car less day sticker than me other car.
Dorothy Wills
Remember those days well I think our day was a Tuesday
Roger Strong
Like most regulations that are pointless there is a way around them.....
Brian Hemera
Tuesday.
Viv Waipouri
Tuesday.
Tarn Aldridge
2 cars sorted that out
Kevin Jamieson
Tarn Aldridge yes i did 2
Richard N Raelyn Dyer
Yip even as a kid back then remember it so well
Judy Ann Hinde
Yes. Remember it well. We lived at Carters Beach so getting two and fro into town (Westport) was a bit of a car juggle for my folks.
Marilyn Hill
Monday was mine
Colin Charlie Jamieson
Mine was Sunday worked well
Delwyn Hughes
Jill Crawford now Murray
Murray Saunders
Author
Cheers Delwyn Hughes
Dot Taft
God yeah. My parents carless day was monday
Tris Smith-Phillips
Had forgotten about that but having 3 cars in the family was better also
Gaye Ruru
I had carless Wednesday!!!
Kleah Boyd
Grandad walked or biked to work every Wednesday .. I was just little but remember him being extra tired on wednesdays
Marj Latta
I worked Mon - Fri so mine was Sunday, also did voluntary Ambulance calls so had an Exemption sticker, pointless really, so from memory this didn`t last that long.
JR Ewing
Wednesday was ours
Arthur Bass
Couldn't buy fuel after midday Saturday.
Gavin Clout
Arthur Bass And speed restrictions applied down to 80 kph. Cant remember "rationing" as such.
Arthur Bass
Gavin Clout The bloke at the tearooms at Arthurs Pass had 44's out the back as well.
The bloke that had the Service Station at Otira spat the dummy and wouldn't supply fuel to Government Departments, Police, Railway, MOW etc., We all got fuel cards for Arthurs Pass. Burned himself well.
Joan Hamilton
It all made sense then and it should now.
Linda Hughes
As the old saying went “ wandering around in a carless daze”.
Kay Bruce
Had Carless Wednesday which I adhered to rigourously until one Wednesday I just plain forgot. I was horrified and U turned on a main road slinking the half km back home feeling really guilty.
Linda Jane Fernandez
Tuesday was ourz
Sure do I also remember when we had a drought and they were taking water out to rural areas to fill there tanks in beer tankers
Mike Scully
We had 2 cars and exemption for both
Brent David
Carlos Dayz was a Spanish guitarist
Anne Honey
Had collected my boys from mums and i ran out if petrol and grandad had to bring me petrol.
Murray Saunders
Author
Yeah as I recall it didn't last long.
Re the Govt
You can only fool some of the people some of the time.… See More
Holly Barrett
At Franz Josef School, we had to sit on the side of the road, counting the cars and seeing what colour sticker they had... and make a pie graph out of the stats for math. Back in the day with Mr Williams. " Schoolie"
We also had to trim the grass under the fence with snips !
Diane Gail
Kimmy Nolan- in your day??
Murray Williams
Thursday
James Codyre
And service stations were closed from Friday evening till Monday morning ang you needed to go to the police if you had a need for emergancy fuel.
Rae Rae
My dad’s was tuesday
Murray Brown
Yup.
I had a m/c and car,,
I was 16yrs young then
Chris Sinnott
I got an exempt sticker.
Chris Ogunmayin
I'm sure petrol was very cheap. Only used to put $5 in at a time. Would get us to blenheim
Annie Swain
Chris Ogunmayin Took a lot longer to earn that $5 then than now though.
Wjohn Sweney
Carlos Daze forgot his lunch at a Dunedin school! Wicked Shirley invented a fake pupil
Carol Mutch
My carless day was Tuesday
Rhonda Glasson
Yup I do remember this
Raylene Black
Rhonda Glasson ..showing your age ...girl!
Steve Richards
And I nearly lost my license in that mini. Great little car lol
Murray Saunders
Author
Hey Steve
Must have been the fats on the rear.
Jill called it Hazel
Judy Tawhiti
Was telling my daughter.in.law about carless days only yesterday,felt she thought I telling porkies.
Vern Pattinson
Judy Tawhiti no it was true a sis I had the mark one zhyper then
Lindsay Forrest
We did Saturday and Sunday so was never without a car!!
Phillip Lee
Remember them well, we used to drive to Christchurch with a tank full of petrol cans as we couldn’t buy it over there in the weekends for the trip home,goodness knows what would happen in an accident.
Kyle Webster
Carless days...dad got an exemption as an essential worker
Vern Pattinson
Worked in the mine back then three of us had tern in careless days
Crow Bay
and so came about the birth of the two car family.... intended to conserve petrol the law inadvertently increased use
Mike Rose
Wasn’t Carlos Daze a well known Spanish Guitarist?
Norman Bedggood
My dad had an exception through the N.Z.R, he was an I P Way in charge here in Westport.
Kyle Webster
Dad was senior Nurse at Glenelg Childrens Health Camp in St Martins, Christchurch so had an exemption sticker for the Hillman Hunter... mum had the Morri 1100...not sure what the exemption day on that was.
Patrick Kane
And file usage went up. Another of Muldoon’s brilliant failures
Maureen Bedford
My Dad and I used to swap stickers
Marion Robina Hogarth
Remember them well, only one car so we did without that day. Hubby walked to a pickup point for a workmate to give him a ride. I walked everywhere so no big issue.
Jude Nicoll
yes, but I was a nurse so I had an exemption due to shift work
Sandra Rooney
Also applying for exceptions. Worked in post office at that time.
Joan Orchard
The car yard was owned by Doug Henry. When he closed it down we bought the 2 large plate glass sliding doors and put them as front windows in the old station masters house we had bought at Moana. It is now a cafe and the windows are still there giving a beautiful view of the lake.
Joan Orchard
Sorry his name with Doug Henry -spelling mistake.
· Reply · 19h
oan Orchard
This time - Doug Hendy
Patrick Pascoe
Joan Orchard Doug Heney.
Keith Douthett
We had a Mini Clubman with the long range fuel tank that could do Ashburton and back to Nelson on one tank with a top up of a lawn mower can. We used to get a friend or relative to fill their can and we would reimburse them when we filled the car up. Worked a treat! The old Mitsubishi Sigma made sure we had no real careless day!
Murray Saunders
Author
the clubman 1275GT’s had Twin tanks.
One each side in the rear near the wheel arches
Pam Perrett
My Dad was an essential worker so didn't have careless day, Also didn't have a party line on phone.
Kaye McNabb
And the building material shortage when we weren't allowed to build double garages!!
Shona Ratana
Yes I too remember those carless days
Craig Hames
Yep my carless day was Tuesday. Also we had to limit night patrols to 50km a night , there was a lot of reversing at 3 to 4 am.
Les Holmes Germanicus
I never obeyed this stupid insane discrimate law anyway.
If you were an essential service worker you would get an "X" sticker for exemption. Seemed like everyone had one of those, hahaha. Dad was a shift worker nurse at Seaview Hospital so he had one.
Trish Barry Andrews
Dave Lyes we had 2 cars, Baz
Graeme Dumelow
Dave Lyes ha ha yes, I brought a Ford 315 about then. It had an x sticker on it with a different car less day sticker than me other car.
Dorothy Wills
Remember those days well I think our day was a Tuesday
Roger Strong
Like most regulations that are pointless there is a way around them.....
Brian Hemera
Tuesday.
Viv Waipouri
Tuesday.
Tarn Aldridge
2 cars sorted that out
Kevin Jamieson
Tarn Aldridge yes i did 2
Richard N Raelyn Dyer
Yip even as a kid back then remember it so well
Judy Ann Hinde
Yes. Remember it well. We lived at Carters Beach so getting two and fro into town (Westport) was a bit of a car juggle for my folks.
Marilyn Hill
Monday was mine
Colin Charlie Jamieson
Mine was Sunday worked well
Delwyn Hughes
Jill Crawford now Murray
Murray Saunders
Author
Cheers Delwyn Hughes
Dot Taft
God yeah. My parents carless day was monday
Tris Smith-Phillips
Had forgotten about that but having 3 cars in the family was better also
Gaye Ruru
I had carless Wednesday!!!
Kleah Boyd
Grandad walked or biked to work every Wednesday .. I was just little but remember him being extra tired on wednesdays
Marj Latta
I worked Mon - Fri so mine was Sunday, also did voluntary Ambulance calls so had an Exemption sticker, pointless really, so from memory this didn`t last that long.
JR Ewing
Wednesday was ours
Arthur Bass
Couldn't buy fuel after midday Saturday.
Gavin Clout
Arthur Bass And speed restrictions applied down to 80 kph. Cant remember "rationing" as such.
Arthur Bass
Gavin Clout The bloke at the tearooms at Arthurs Pass had 44's out the back as well.
The bloke that had the Service Station at Otira spat the dummy and wouldn't supply fuel to Government Departments, Police, Railway, MOW etc., We all got fuel cards for Arthurs Pass. Burned himself well.
Joan Hamilton
It all made sense then and it should now.
Linda Hughes
As the old saying went “ wandering around in a carless daze”.
Kay Bruce
Had Carless Wednesday which I adhered to rigourously until one Wednesday I just plain forgot. I was horrified and U turned on a main road slinking the half km back home feeling really guilty.
Linda Jane Fernandez
Tuesday was ourz
Sure do I also remember when we had a drought and they were taking water out to rural areas to fill there tanks in beer tankers
Mike Scully
We had 2 cars and exemption for both
Brent David
Carlos Dayz was a Spanish guitarist
Anne Honey
Had collected my boys from mums and i ran out if petrol and grandad had to bring me petrol.
Murray Saunders
Author
Yeah as I recall it didn't last long.
Re the Govt
You can only fool some of the people some of the time.… See More
Holly Barrett
At Franz Josef School, we had to sit on the side of the road, counting the cars and seeing what colour sticker they had... and make a pie graph out of the stats for math. Back in the day with Mr Williams. " Schoolie"
We also had to trim the grass under the fence with snips !
Diane Gail
Kimmy Nolan- in your day??
Murray Williams
Thursday
James Codyre
And service stations were closed from Friday evening till Monday morning ang you needed to go to the police if you had a need for emergancy fuel.
Rae Rae
My dad’s was tuesday
Murray Brown
Yup.
I had a m/c and car,,
I was 16yrs young then
Chris Sinnott
I got an exempt sticker.
Chris Ogunmayin
I'm sure petrol was very cheap. Only used to put $5 in at a time. Would get us to blenheim
Annie Swain
Chris Ogunmayin Took a lot longer to earn that $5 then than now though.
Wjohn Sweney
Carlos Daze forgot his lunch at a Dunedin school! Wicked Shirley invented a fake pupil
Carol Mutch
My carless day was Tuesday
Rhonda Glasson
Yup I do remember this
Raylene Black
Rhonda Glasson ..showing your age ...girl!
Steve Richards
And I nearly lost my license in that mini. Great little car lol
Murray Saunders
Author
Hey Steve
Must have been the fats on the rear.
Jill called it Hazel
Judy Tawhiti
Was telling my daughter.in.law about carless days only yesterday,felt she thought I telling porkies.
Vern Pattinson
Judy Tawhiti no it was true a sis I had the mark one zhyper then
Lindsay Forrest
We did Saturday and Sunday so was never without a car!!
Phillip Lee
Remember them well, we used to drive to Christchurch with a tank full of petrol cans as we couldn’t buy it over there in the weekends for the trip home,goodness knows what would happen in an accident.
Kyle Webster
Carless days...dad got an exemption as an essential worker
Vern Pattinson
Worked in the mine back then three of us had tern in careless days
Crow Bay
and so came about the birth of the two car family.... intended to conserve petrol the law inadvertently increased use
Mike Rose
Wasn’t Carlos Daze a well known Spanish Guitarist?
Norman Bedggood
My dad had an exception through the N.Z.R, he was an I P Way in charge here in Westport.
Kyle Webster
Dad was senior Nurse at Glenelg Childrens Health Camp in St Martins, Christchurch so had an exemption sticker for the Hillman Hunter... mum had the Morri 1100...not sure what the exemption day on that was.
Patrick Kane
And file usage went up. Another of Muldoon’s brilliant failures
Maureen Bedford
My Dad and I used to swap stickers
Marion Robina Hogarth
Remember them well, only one car so we did without that day. Hubby walked to a pickup point for a workmate to give him a ride. I walked everywhere so no big issue.
Jude Nicoll
yes, but I was a nurse so I had an exemption due to shift work
Sandra Rooney
Also applying for exceptions. Worked in post office at that time.
Joan Orchard
The car yard was owned by Doug Henry. When he closed it down we bought the 2 large plate glass sliding doors and put them as front windows in the old station masters house we had bought at Moana. It is now a cafe and the windows are still there giving a beautiful view of the lake.
Joan Orchard
Sorry his name with Doug Henry -spelling mistake.
· Reply · 19h
oan Orchard
This time - Doug Hendy
Patrick Pascoe
Joan Orchard Doug Heney.
Keith Douthett
We had a Mini Clubman with the long range fuel tank that could do Ashburton and back to Nelson on one tank with a top up of a lawn mower can. We used to get a friend or relative to fill their can and we would reimburse them when we filled the car up. Worked a treat! The old Mitsubishi Sigma made sure we had no real careless day!
Murray Saunders
Author
the clubman 1275GT’s had Twin tanks.
One each side in the rear near the wheel arches
Pam Perrett
My Dad was an essential worker so didn't have careless day, Also didn't have a party line on phone.
Kaye McNabb
And the building material shortage when we weren't allowed to build double garages!!
Shona Ratana
Yes I too remember those carless days
Craig Hames
Yep my carless day was Tuesday. Also we had to limit night patrols to 50km a night , there was a lot of reversing at 3 to 4 am.
Les Holmes Germanicus
I never obeyed this stupid insane discrimate law anyway.
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West Coast New Zealand History (13th Sep 2021). Petrol rationing (petrol shortage-oil shortage). In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 8th Apr 2026 16:55, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/30032