<P> New Zealand has one oil refinery, the Marsden Point Oil Refinery . The major industry body is the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand . </P> <P> There are 2,600 kilometres of high - pressure natural gas transmission pipelines in the North Island . Most of these are owned and operated by First Gas, including the Maui pipeline, a 307 km pipeline that carries 78% of all natural gas produced in New Zealand . The low - pressure gas pipelines that distribute gas to end users are owned by First Gas (Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Kapiti Coast), Vector (Auckland), Powerco (Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Manawatu, Wellington) and GasNet (Wanganui). </P> <P> The largest retailers of gas are Contact Energy and Vector . There is no natural gas transmission in the South Island . New Zealand has one underground gas storage facility, the Ahuroa Gas Storage Facility . </P> <P> In 1865, the Alpha well was drilled near Mikotahi at New Plymouth . This was the first oil well in what is now the Commonwealth and one of the first in the world . A petroleum industry developed at Moturoa, including producing wells and refineries . The last refinery there was closed in 1972 . The field continues to produce small quantities of oil . </P>

When did commercial petroleum production begin in new zealand