The Kaiapoi community is saddened by the news its local Mobil service station will soon operate as an unattended petrol stop.

A spokesperson for Mobil Oil New Zealand told chrislynchmedia.com the company is converting a number of service stations nationwide to unattended sites, and Kaiapoi is among them.

Mobil will continue to offer 91, 95, and 98 octane petrol, along with diesel, but the station will no longer have staff on site.

Kaiapoi residents are encouraging the community to stop by and thank the small team working at the site for their service before the station transitions to an unattended model.

The company said the change affects only a select number of sites and reflects a move already made by other fuel retailers across New Zealand.

Mobil did not say how many jobs would be lost, but local residents told chrislynchmedia.com it was a sad sign of the times, and the community was losing another important hub.

The station will go unattended on Friday.