An unusual technical error caused a fuel crisis.
Gas stations in New Zealand on February 29 reported outages across the country due to the fact that the software can not process the date of February 29.
Fuel companies Z Energy, Allied Petroleum and Gull said automatic pumps were turned off across the country, leaving only stations with service personnel able to process payments.
A Gull representative suggested that the reason for the failure was the inability of the payment system software to cope with a leap year. "According to our data, the problem is related to this, but we are waiting for confirmation from our technology supplier," the representative said.
New Zealand, because of its geographical location, meets a new day earlier than many other countries, and therefore it was one of the first to encounter the date of February 29 - an additional day that is added to the calendar every 4 years. This means that the Earth takes just over 365 days to complete a complete revolution around the Sun.
Z Energy has announced on its website a problem with a third-party payment system affecting businesses across New Zealand, including their own. Z Energy said the company is working closely with the payment service provider to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Gas stations in New Zealand on February 29 reported outages across the country due to the fact that the software can not process the date of February 29.
Fuel companies Z Energy, Allied Petroleum and Gull said automatic pumps were turned off across the country, leaving only stations with service personnel able to process payments.
A Gull representative suggested that the reason for the failure was the inability of the payment system software to cope with a leap year. "According to our data, the problem is related to this, but we are waiting for confirmation from our technology supplier," the representative said.
New Zealand, because of its geographical location, meets a new day earlier than many other countries, and therefore it was one of the first to encounter the date of February 29 - an additional day that is added to the calendar every 4 years. This means that the Earth takes just over 365 days to complete a complete revolution around the Sun.
Z Energy has announced on its website a problem with a third-party payment system affecting businesses across New Zealand, including their own. Z Energy said the company is working closely with the payment service provider to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
