New Zealand Post announces Saturday mail service changes for rural customers
New Zealand Post has announced that, from 1 April, there will be no longer be letter deliveries or mail pick-ups on Saturdays for rural customers who are currently on a six day delivery. Mail deliveries will continue as they are now, from Monday to Friday. Rural contractors will, however, continue to deliver parcels and subscription newspapers on Saturdays in areas where there is currently six day delivery.
In 2013, New Zealand Post was given the flexibility by the Government to move to five day delivery in rural areas. About a quarter of rural delivery customers are already on five day delivery from Monday to Friday and the remainder are currently on six day delivery (but this will change on 1 April).
New Zealand Post’s Chief Operating Officer Mark Stewart commented: “Letter volumes continue to fall sharply, whereas the number of parcels and other products in our network is increasing.”
Stewart said NZ Post had held off moving to five day letter delivery for all rural customers for as long as possible, but the continuing decline in letter volumes means six day letter delivery is no longer sustainable.
“We’re continuing to work hard to bring new business on board to maintain a commercially viable rural network for us and our contractors, and to give our rural customers the best possible service,” added Stewart. “We need rural delivery to be in good shape for the future.”
