NZ Post urged - stop holding up mail unnecessarily

Media release

Newmarket Business Association

Tuesday 8 July 2008

NZ Post urged to stop holding up mail unnecessarily

One week after New Zealand Post’s introduction of new postal address standards an Auckland business association claims that posting a standard letter from Auckland to Wellington without a postcode now takes up to five days to arrive.

“Snail mail already takes about three days to get from Auckland to Wellington. If anything post should be getting faster in the 21st century, not slower,” says Cameron Brewer, general manager of the Newmarket Business Association.

“We’re hearing stories of businesses having important documents held up and no doubt people’s cards are arriving late for birthdays because of this over the top regime. While others will be missing out on early payment discounts.

“It is outrageous to think that a taxpayer who addresses an envelope to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Parliament Buildings, Wellington will have their letter delayed by a couple of days because it simply doesn’t carry a postcode.

New Zealand Post’s new standards introduced on 1 July mean that people’s mail is now being delayed by two days if it does not carry a postcode and businesses are being charged more for their bulk-mail that doesn’t carry postcodes.

“Not only is it bad for business, it’s sad for the elderly who rely so much more on postal communication.

“We understand there have been delays with the distribution of brochures that list the postcodes. What’s more, NZ Post is encouraging customers to get on the internet to find out postcodes, which wouldn’t suit a lot of people particularly the elderly.

“For most envelopes absent of a postcode, it would be very obvious where they are meant to go. We encourage New Zealand Post to just get on with distributing the mail and not hold it up unnecessarily.

"It is a very tough winter for a lot of businesses and consumers. The last thing New Zealanders want is a Government SOE being overly regimental just for the sake of it,” said Cameron Brewer.

ENDS

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