File photo: RNZA freight company is warning New Zealand faces sharply higher freight prices, rising living costs, and months‑long delivery delays as the impact of the Iran conflict spreads through global supply chains. Many vessels were avoiding the Middle East entirely, re-routing around southern Africa - adding up to 40 days to transit times and significantly increasing fuel costs. The only stable spot, for now, was freight to Australia and China - though Coleman expected prices on those routes to rise as fuel costs continued to climb. Coleman said rising transport costs would ripple through every part of the supply chain. "It comes down to that loaf of bread - it's going to increase dramatically just because of transport costs."

Source: Otago Daily Times March 09, 2026 04:39 UTC