Shane Dunphy asked the embassy to reimburse him for the US$1,600 spent on petrol vouchers for his staff so that they could travel to work
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenSCMP’s Asia deskPublished: 6:25pm, 3 Apr 2026A New Zealand doctor has sent the US embassy in Wellington an invoice for his clinic’s fuel bills, saying that President Donald Trump and his administration should take responsibility for starting a war that has sent oil prices spiralling.Shane Dunphy asked the embassy to reimburse him for the NZ$2,790.95 (US$1,600) in petrol vouchers he gave staff at Onslow Medical Centre in the capital so that they could travel to work, The Guardian newspaper reported.
“Because of the current fuel crisis, triggered by the joint US and Israel attack on Iran leading to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, our staff are struggling to afford petrol for their vehicles,” he wrote in the letter, dated March 27.
“As employers, we feel it necessary to soften the impact on our staff by providing them with some fuel vouchers so that they can afford to come to work and to feed their families.”
Some staff members living in a suburb about 30km from Wellington found they were paying up to NZ$100 more per week for fuel, he added.
