Parents warned of cold classrooms in schools relying on diesel for heating

Thursday, 2 April 2026

Radiators in a classroom at Te Puna Wai o Waipapa - Hagley College that are powered by a diesel boiler. The school has been told supplies of diesel will be limited.

As winter looms, schools with heating systems fuelled by diesel are facing cuts to their supplies, leaving principals concerned their students will be studying in cold classrooms.

Christ’s College principal Joe Eccleton sent an email to parents this week warning them about low diesel supplies which could impact on the school’s heating and water heating in some areas, as well as the operation of school vans.

“Previously, we were able to keep our 10,000-litre tank full; under the new system, this will likely reduce to between one-quarter and one-half capacity,” the email said.

Property manager John Cowie checks the diesel boilers at Hagley College, as schools grapple with heating systems affected by the fuel crisis.

“We are confident schools, along with hospitals and rest homes, are considered priority customers. This means it is unlikely that we will run out of fuel completely, however, this will of course depend on availability.”

The Ministry of Education could not confirm how many schools have diesel heating but New Zealand Principals’ Federation president Jason Miles said more than 100 schools across the country would be affected.

Acting group general manager, national services and programmes Andrea Williams said ministry staff were contacting schools about the fuel crisis and getting information “on the extent of heating provided by diesel boilers as we develop our planning”.

“We will be working with these schools to identify what they need to keep their schools appropriately heated throughout winter.”

Te Puna Wai o Waipapa - Hagley College operations manager Andy Gorton said the school used an average of 2000-5000 litres in diesel per week from April to October but the school had been advised by its supplier that deliveries would be limited.

He said 70% of the school buildings could be heated with air conditioning units - which were usually only used for cooling - but the remaining areas did not have this option.

Property manager John Cowie checks the diesel tank at Te Puna Wai o Waipapa - Hagley College. The school’s diesel supplier has started to limit deliveries.

The Ministry of Education staff told him they were developing an action plan, but had not confirmed if this would include financial support, Gorton said.

Riccarton High School principal Neil Hayward said 40% of the school was heated with a diesel boiler system. While the Ministry had said it was considering subsidising the higher cost of diesel for affected schools, if there were no supplies, this wouldn’t help, he said.

“…it would essentially mean saying to parents, ‘look, make sure they're bringing a warm jacket, to wear in class’…which is not the norm at the moment.”

Hayward said he was concerned about how the fuel hikes would affect his school budget.

“We budget a certain amount for our boiler for this year, and even away from diesel…petrol vehicles, minibuses, crikey, if we're going to hit $4 a litre, then the budget goes out the window, doesn't it?”

The school’s diesel supplier had said they wouldn’t supply fuel for the school’s grounds upkeep, including lawn mowers as it wasn’t a priority.

Southern Heating Fuels owner Matthew O’Donoghue said the company, along with other diesel suppliers, had been forced to cut supplies to all customers including schools, as its allocation from an oil company had been significantly cut.

“We’re having to be very careful with what we’re doing.”

He said the company would try to ensure schools had enough fuel, however there was a lot of uncertainty around future supply as a result of the US-Israel- Iran war.

Radiators that heat classrooms at Hagley College are powered by a diesel boiler.

“I think Trump’s going to stuff the world…but if the war ends and the Strait of Hormuz open’s up the price of oil will drop quickly.”

He said the company topped up school diesel tanks weekly in winter, O'Donoghue said.

'Fortunately it hasn't been too cold.'

O’Donoghue said he was very concerned about the viability of his business and that if things didn’t improve “soon” he would need to look at cutting staff.

He said his company considered schools and hospitals priority customers, along with businesses who had no other alternative to diesel.

Williams said the ministry’s focus “is on keeping children learning on site and minimising disruption”.

However, the Government’s fuel response plan did not specifically list schools as an essential service in phase’s three and four, which are under consideration.