THE loss of essential services like fuel can be fatal for a small rural community but not in the thriving village of Pongaroa in Tararua District where the community has banded together to build its own fuel stop with the help of Allied Petroleum.
The community had been without its own fuel supply for more than two years but the days of driving to town with fuel cans on the back of the ute or rescuing stranded tourists on the popular route were now over.
The Pongaroa Fuel Stop opened on Saturday October 14 and fuel was now flowing 24/7 at the unmanned stop on State Highway 52.
The village of Pongaroa was home to about 300 people, many of them working as casual labourers or in shearing gangs on farms in the surrounding area as well as servicing the needs of local farmers, contractors and passing tourists.
Pongaroa Fuel Stop Incorporated committee member and farmer Mark Wheeler said the service would have many benefits for local farmers.
“Now that Allied is in the area the Fuel Stop may have an effect on reducing onfarm delivery prices.
“There are lots of casual workers and shearers in the village. They are more likely to get to work on time. Contractors can also get hold of fuel when and where they need it. If they run out and there’s not a delivery for several days they don’t need to draw on emergency supplies.”
As well as accepting eftpos, debit or credit cards, farmers can apply for an Allied card. Any farm fuel bought at the stop or delivered onfarm by Allied within a specified boundary would return a 3.5 cents a litre fee to the society for distribution in the community.
“The society is a registered charity and that money will be available to non-profit organisations within the community as a non-contestable grant,” Wheeler says.
“The idea right from the start was we wanted to do something that would not only return a fuel service to Pongaroa but income generated would be put back into the community.”
Wheeler said the Fuel Stop was built at a cost of $600,000.
Of that, about $248,000 came from the community. It comprised an interest-free loan negotiated with Allied, a $60,000 grant from Tararua District Council, about $60,000 in donations from the community and the balance was debentures.
The land for the Fuel Stop was given by the Broughton family. The community owned the land and was responsible for the ground work required to get it ready to put the Fuel Stop on top of. Allied installed the tanks, pumps, drainage and took care of the licence fees and consent.
Allied Petroleum marketing manager Brett Haldane said the company’s roots were in rural New Zealand and it had partnered with many provincial service stations in the past.
“We were happy to consider the establishment of an unmanned fuel stop in Pongaroa but without the community’s contribution the project would not have been viable.
“We commend the township’s efforts. They’ve worked hard and it’s a fantastic achievement.”
For Allied the project was a commercial investment and meant an addition to its growing refuelling network. While its tanker was in the area it was keen to work with new customers needing a bulk fuel delivery.
“Finally, it’s just a great feeling for our people knowing that they’ve helped a small community establish a local forecourt.”
Fittingly, Allied’s slogan was Never Run Out.
“We chose it as a way of telling our customers we understand their productivity is important, whether that be the tractor or the truck. But also it means being committed to NZ too – even its little towns,” Haldane said.
Local farmer and Fuel Stop committee member Jason Ellmers said it was great that a commercial outfit like Allied backed the project.
“They have helped make it viable with the community and have seen that the community is worth investing in. I’m sure that the community will get in behind Allied as well.
“I think it’s an outstanding community effort.”
But it had been a long haul to get to opening day.
The journey started in 2015 when contractor Dave Monk was doing some cropping on a nearby farm and got to thinking about whether the community could build its own fuel stop.
How hard could it be?
“That’s the last time we let him think and work,” Wheeler joked.
“It was bloody hard.”
The Fuel Stop committee was formed in October 2015 and there were many challenges along the way but they had accomplished what they set out to do.
“It hasn’t completely sunk in yet. We went outside on Saturday night after it was dark and a few of us said ‘There’s no Christmas light display as good as this’. We stood there in silence, looked at it and thought ‘wow, we’ve done it’.
“There were times we didn’t seem to be making progress but going out there and seeing it all lit up, it really is a tremendous feeling.”
Wheeler thinks the project could be replicated in other rural communities.
“You just need people with a can-do attitude. We had an extraordinary depth of skills and areas of specialty in the community that we tapped into.”
One of the biggest obstacles was gaining funding. Because it was a public/private partnership, legislation prevented them accessing money from the likes of the Lotteries Commission.
Wheeler hoped that might change.
“If the community is self-funding, like this will be here, it will free up money to put into other areas so it’s a win-win.
“They can’t give a grant to a commercial company and us being in partnership with a commercial company effectively ruled us out.
“They were sympathetic about it and could see the advantages in us self-funding our district as there’s never enough grant money to go around but their hands were tied by the law,” he said.
“We didn’t do this for glory. We wanted to do this for the community.
“The council called it a legacy project and it’s something that will be here for 20 to 50 years.
“By having it we have ensured Pongaroa won’t lose any more services. It’s an essential service and where there are services, there are people too.”
Wheeler hoped the community would get in behind the Fuel Stop and repay Allied for the investment it made in Pongaroa.
“They say ‘build it and they will come’ – let’s prove that right.”
