New Zealand Post to switch to alternate-day mail delivery from July

New Zealand Post has confirmed plans to switch to alternate-day delivery for standard mail from July. The state-owned postal service announced back in 2013 it was planning on cutting delivery days in order to reduce operating costs in line with declining mail volumes.

The move comes as part of a five-year transformation plan to adapt to changing mail industry trends and focus more on parcels.

From the start of July, New Zealand Post said it will deliver to households in larger urban areas every second day.

The new schedule will then be rolled out to smaller towns over two years.

The company is planning on testing the changes in parts of Auckland, centred around Ellerslie, to fine-tune the changes before the July rollout.

New Zealand Post mail and communications chief operating officer Ashley Smout insisted that the new reduced service will still see delivery targets hit. He said the company was confident customers would see “very little, if any” difference in the services they receive.

Smout said: “Our target of 95% of standard mail delivered within three working days remains, just as it is now. Six-day-a-week deliveries will continue for priority mail and courier parcels, so people should still check for mail every day.”

Changes

New Zealand Post said priority mail including FastPost will continue to have a next day delivery target between major towns and cities. Rural deliveries will remain “largely unchanged”.

The company is profitable, but profits have been falling steeply with postal volumes declining by 7.5% year-on-year.

New Zealand Post is set to trial new delivery vehicles later this year, which it said will make it easier and more efficient to deliver mail and parcels across the country. A pilot is being held in the New Plymouth area to test the vehicles and a greater integration of mail and parcel delivery.

“We’re making these changes in response to people sending fewer letters. Our analysis shows the average household receives letters just three days a week,” Smout said.