| Type | State owned enterprise |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1987 |
| Headquarters | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Key people | Michael Cullen (Chair) Brian Roche (CEO) Mark Yeoman (CFO) |
| Products | Mail Service, Retail, Service Centre, Banking |
| Subsidiaries | Kiwibank, Datam, ECN |
| Website | nzpost.co.nz |
New Zealand Post, commonly referred by its acronym, NZPost is a State owned enterprise responsible for providing postal service in New Zealand.
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The company was created on 1 April 1987 as a State-Owned Enterprise from the corporatisation of the New Zealand Post Office, a government department, following the recommendations of the 1986 Mason-Morris Review. The other state-owned enterprises formed from the New Zealand Post Office: the erstwhile monopoly telephone operator (Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Limited), and a savings bank (PostBank), were later privatised.[1]
New Zealand Post began its life with 1,244 post offices, later rebranded as PostShops. Of these 906 full post offices and 338 postal agencies, 600 post offices or bank branches were downsized or closed after government subsidies expired in February 1988. As of March 1998, there are 297 PostShops, and 705 Post Centres. However, there are now more outlets than before corporatisation, with 2,945 other retailers of postage stamps. There has been a reduction in the 'real' price of postage, with a nominal drop of the postage rate from 45 cents (NZD) to 40 cents in 1996, and restoration of the 45 cent rate in 2004. Since then the cost has risen twice, to 50 cents in 2007 and to 60 cents in 2010.
As at 30 June 2004, the makeup of retail outlets was stated in New Zealand Post's 2004 annual report[2] as (minimum as per government regulations in brackets):
The Lange government's Postal Services Act 1987 also reduced the monopoly of New Zealand Post to a limit of $1.75 and 500 grams. It was gradually reduced to 80 cents in December 1991 until the 1998 legislation took effect.
The Postal Services Act 1998, passed by a National-New Zealand First coalition government, repealed the 1987 Act. The new law provides for any person to become a registered postal operator by applying to the Ministry of Economic Development. Registration as a postal operator is compulsory for letters with postage less than 80 cents. Despite the Act, government regulation of the company still requires it to maintain certain minimum service levels, such as frequency of delivery.
New Zealand Post's exclusive right to be the 'sole operator' under the Act for the purposes of the Universal Postal Union expired on 1 April 2003. For practical purposes, this meant another postal operator could theoretically issue stamps identified simply as 'New Zealand' with UPU membership. At around the same time, New Zealand Post adopted a fern-shaped identifying mark on its postage stamps, to be used on the majority of its future issues.
In 1989 New Zealand Post established CourierPost, a nationwide courier company designed to protect the company's parcel business from private competition. By 1998 CourierPost had become the number one player in the express courier market.[3]
In 1999 New Zealand Post launched a 50:50 joint operation with Blue Star. The new brand - Books and More - combined bookshop operations with the more traditional PostShop services. After acquiring 100% of the company in 2004 (by this stage the other 50% had been owned by WH Smith, owner of Whitcoulls bookshops) the entire operation was eventually sold to Paper Plus in 2005 and by 2006 all had been re-branded as Take Note.[4][5]
In 2002 New Zealand Post, as part of government policy, opened the bank Kiwibank Limited in the majority of its PostShop and Books and More (now Take Note) branches. New Zealand Post is the sole shareholder in Kiwibank Limited and, on the basis that in this case one share is worth $1, holds 295,000,000 shares in Kiwibank.
In 2002 NZ Post bought The ECN Group which is now New Zealand Post's corporate venturing arm. Its purpose is to develop and market technologies and services that may replace or enhance New Zealand Post's traditional services. The ECN Group focuses on B2B messaging, Business Process Management and Systems Integration, with a presence in New Zealand, Australia and Asia.[6][7]
In 2004 New Zealand Post announced the formation of Express Couriers Ltd (ECL), a 50:50 joint venture with DHL. Express Couriers operates extensive courier and logistics services throughout New Zealand and encompasses the CourierPost, Pace and Contract Logistics brands. In 2008 New Zealand Post and DHL commenced a similar joint venture in Australia called Parcel Direct Group Pty Limited (PDG).
New Zealand Post also runs the Electoral Enrolment Centre as a business unit under contract to the Minister of Justice. Its function is to compile and maintain all parliamentary electoral rolls.
Current Board members as of July 2010 are Jim Bolger, Michael Cullen, Shale Chambers, Pip Dunphy, Murray Gribben, Temuera Hall, David Willis and Justine Smyth.[8]
On 6 July 2010, New Zealand post registered a 100 percent stake in Localist Limited, a local directory and social media site focussing initially on the Auckland region. [9]
By end of June 2011, New Zealand Post will have 910 postal outlets and 280 PostShop Kiwibank stores after shuts and downgrades more than a dozen branches nationwide. To compensate, the company was also planning to install new self-service kiosks similar to ATMs for handling letters, bill payments and parcels.[10]
In 2010 New Zealand Post opened a new division in the media and advertising industry in Auckland. Localist is a new directory service that lets Aucklanders champion their communities and support local organisations and businesses.