Federated Farmers has successfully lobbied for rural delivery runs currently on six days per week to reduce to five days per week from July 2015.
New Zealand Post and the Government had originally proposed to cut rural delivery runs to a minimum of three days per week, in the faceof declining mail volumes.
However, after the federation launched a campaign to see the rural delivery runs retained, it was decided the areas which currently run six days per week would be reduced by only one day, from July 1, 2015. Rural areas currently on a fewer than six days delivery frequencies will remain unchanged.
This is a huge win for the federation's membership as rural delivery contractors deliver a lot more than just post. They deliver non-postal essentials such as medicine, the weekly newspaper and farm consumables. In some areas which are still on dial-up or satellite internet, the rural delivery runs are the rural community's main means of communication.
The rural delivery contractors also need to be able to run a viable business and, if the frequency was reduced to three days per week, some contractors may have found it hard to stay in business. This would have had huge ramifications for rural New Zealand.
The changes are the result of the amendment of the Deed of Understanding between New Zealand Post and the Government.
New Zealand Post is still working on how the five-day service will run. Federated Farmers will continue to work with the company to ensure the service meets the needs of our members.
The state-owned enterprise and the Government will review the Deed of Understanding again in 2020. This will coincide with the completion of the Rural Broadband Initiative and the Ultra Fast Broadband Initiative.
