Plans to cut rural post services criticised

Time is running out to provide feedback on government plans that could see rural postal deliveries cut from five days a week to just three and the number of post shops down from 880 to 500.

The proposals are among a raft of planned changes to NZ Post’s mail service that the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has been consulting on, the deadline for which is 5pm on Tuesday, December 10.

The plans, which would also allow NZ Post to deliver to new rural communal collection points instead of mailboxes, have come under fire from Rural Women New Zealand, which it says will disproportionately impact people living in rural areas.

Chief executive Marie Fitzpatrick said NZ Post was abandoning the quality of its service and putting commercial viability ahead of the need for rural communities to access basic postal services.

“These proposals will disproportionately impact rural communities, as well as the elderly and those with health issues and disabilities, who will be forced to wait longer and travel greater distances to do basic things like clear their mailboxes and send a letter or parcel,” she said.

“These communities often suffer from poor digital connectivity, which makes it difficult to do administrative tasks online.

“Our rural communities play a vital role in New Zealand’s economy and deserve better – especially from a state-owned enterprise, which should include a large element of social responsibility.”

Fitzpatrick added that NZ Post also needed to be upfront about which post outlets it was planning to close, and that the proposals needed to be scaled back.

“The consultation document says rural communities will not be disproportionately affected, but there is no detail on where services will be cut,” she said.

“We are also concerned the consultation is being run online only, with no face-to-face community engagement and a short consultation window. This has made it difficult for rural people to have their say.”

Info and feedback form: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/have-your-say/seeking-feedback-on-moving-towards-a-financially-sustainable-mail-service