1:10 pm today

How can we make sure NZ is ready for a worst-case scenario?

From Afternoons, 1:10 pm today

With no end in sight for the Middle East conflict, more and more conversations are turning to oil supplies.

While our leaders have been quick to reassure New Zealanders that there is no need to worry about supplies running out, surely it would be prudent to consider what steps can be taken should we need to?

As many of you will remember carless days were in a thing in the late 1970s but what else can we do to make sure we keep the country running?

Dr Matt Boyd is an independent researcher in global catastrophic risk and one of the brains behind the Aotearoa New Zealand Catastrophe Resilience Project.

This handout photo taken on March 11, 2026 and released by the Royal Thai Navy shows smoke rising from the Thai bulk carrier 'Mayuree Naree' near the Strait of Hormuz after an attack. A Thai bulk carrier travelling in the crucial Strait of Hormuz was attacked March 11, with 20 crew members rescued so far, the Thai navy said. (Photo by Handout / ROYAL THAI NAVY / AFP) / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / ROYAL THAI NAVY " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS -

Smoke rising from the Thai bulk carrier 'Mayuree Naree' near the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: ROYAL THAI NAVY / AFP