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Summarised by Centrist
New Zealand Post will remove mail services from 142 urban retail partner stores later this year as part of a major overhaul of its national postal network.
The state-owned enterprise said the changes follow an update to its Deed of Understanding with the Government, which for the first time since the 1980s lowers the minimum number of required postal service points.
The minimum will drop from 880 to 500 initially, with a further reduction to 400 after four years. The number of service points offering personal assistance will also be halved over time.
The affected locations are primarily partner outlets such as pharmacies and supermarkets in urban areas. Rural stores are not affected “at this time”.
Sarah Sandoval of NZ Post said customers now rely far more on post shops for parcels than for letters, and that the network needs to be “rebalanced” to reflect this shift.
Despite the closures, NZ Post said 567 urban service points would remain and claimed 90 per cent of urban residents would still be within 4km of a post shop.
However, some communities will be significantly further from their nearest remaining outlet, with reports of distances exceeding 10km in places such as Brighton, Linton and Paekākāriki.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said the average delivery point now receives fewer than two letters a week, down from 7.5 in 2013.
Read more over at Newstalk ZB and 1News
Image: Ingolfson
