GAS Whatawhata - GAS Whatawhata 1335 Horotiu Road

GAS has approximately 130 sites across New Zealand.  It is 100% New Zealand-owned and the majority of GAS supplied petrol stations are independently owned and operated.

GAS aims to provide personal, friendly service and is proud of its involvement in local communities throughout the country.  Indeed, the focus GAS applies to local communities is at the core of its identity, be these communities in heartland, rural areas or within New Zealand’s major urban centres.

1988

The petroleum retail industry in New Zealand is deregulated.  Among much else, this paves the way for the major oil companies to cut-back on relatively inefficient supplies of fuel to the nation’s smaller, independent service stations in favour of their own, larger (efficient to supply) company-owned stations.

1999

GAS is founded by a group of New Zealand businessman following years of discussion, assessment and modelling of an array of mechanisms for entering the local fuels market.  The final solution proves to be a simple one.  A supply arrangement is entered with Caltex for the purchase and resale of fuel products.   These products are not merely to be bought from Caltex, but to be delivered by it too through its own, highly developed and mature logistics and distribution network.

The first GAS station to be established is Leigh Motors located an hour north of Auckland and which has remained in the GAS network to this day.  This great little business, typical of the GAS brand, supplies fuel to a vibrant resident community and the many overseas and local tourist visitors to the area.

By the end of 2000, GAS has established 14 stations from Te Hana in Northland to Kingston in Otago.

2003

After an exhaustive review of options, GAS switches its supply arrangements from Caltex to BP and again takes advantage of a major company’s high-quality fuels and distribution network.

The GAS-BP relationship proceeds to evolve, endure and mature through several contractual iterations.  It remains in place today.

2006

The GAS network has grown to 75 petrol stations

2011

The GAS network reaches 120 petrol stations despite continuing decline in the overall size of the retail fuel market in New Zealand and the GAS share of this.

GAS senses at this time an important need for a fresh and renewed focus on its brand, its roots and the basics of running small businesses throughout the country.  In short, GAS sees the need for a strong consolidation in the substance of its existing network and brand.  It embarks upon a comprehensive re-branding and re-imaging initiative.  It calls this initiative Project Phoenix and it is to cost over three million dollars and run a course through the next three years.

2016

At the same time as Project Phoenix is being carried out, the need to update and standardise the technology in use across the network becomes clear.  By 2016, the network finds itself in the final stages of a comprehensive point of sale (POS) systems refurbishment program the result of which has all GAS petrol stations (with very few exceptions) operating one of two standard, modern POS platforms.

It is around this time too, that the network’s aggregate fuel volumes stabilise and then start growing again together with the pipeline of opportunities to add new service stations to the GAS network.

2019

GAS joins the AA Smartfuel loyalty program and in the process adds significant additional value both to its Retailers and to motorists up and down the country.

The Future

Much is still planned.  While the GAS brand is not, and is unlikely ever to become, a “major” in the New Zealand fuels market, it sees this as its strength and as a foundation for its community-level operations.  It is after all “100% Kiwi” and proud of its claim to the motoring public that, “We’re here for you”.