There are concerns those most impacted by proposed cutbacks to postal services will struggle to have a say in any changes.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) wants to reduce rural postal deliveries from a minimum of five days a week to three days. City postal deliveries could also be cut down to two days per week.
It said the move was in response to plummeting mail volumes — but the Postal Workers Union of Aotearoa is rejecting the proposal entirely, claiming rural communities which need it most will be cut off.
The union’s John Maynard told Breakfast the move will do more harm than good, and the union isn’t convinced the six-week time frame is long enough for people to provide feedback.
“There are three major areas that concern us here. One of course is the posties’ jobs that would be affected, second is the rural people with their reduced deliveries, but third, which is not mentioned so much, is the company wants to move people away from the letterbox at their house to have clusters of letterboxes.
“Already in some subdivisions New Zealand Post will not have a postie go into the subdivision, you have to have your letterboxes in a cluster, risk them being broken into, and that’s been happening, and they want to slowly do that in the towns and cities, move people’s letterboxes away and down the end of the street.”
Maynard said his message to the Government would be to encourage people to participate in the consultation process.
“Those people who are most vulnerable are less likely to be able to participate, because they don’t rely on internet, which is how this whole consultation is being run.”
Meanwhile, MBIE’s James Hartley said the consultation is about finding the right balance for NZ Post while having a mail delivery service Kiwis want.
“The reduction in mail volumes does mean there is a reduction in revenue for NZ Post. So, NZ Post as a state owned enterprise, has to stand on its own two feet commercially. So what we’re consulting on is a proposal that keeps what we think is a good mail service for New Zealanders and what they want, while still keeping NZ Post sustainable.”
Hartley added while mail is declining across the board, there is “still some demand” for a mail service, which is why they are keen to hear feedback about what Kiwis want.
“My key message would be if you’re getting three letters per week, you will still get three letters per week, it might just come on some different days. That would be the major impact, particularly on rural communities getting your five days a week service, that will now be three [under the proposal].”
Feedback on the NZ Post changes closes on December 10.
