Western Heights Four Square and NZ Post Shop. Photo / Mathew Nash
NZ Post’s decision to close two Rotorua post shops is expected to heavily impact older residents, local business owners and community advocates say.
The company announced last week it would close more than 140 post shops nationwide, including those based at Springfield Superette and Western Heights Four Square.
Both shops are expected to stop operating in mid-May.
The move follows an update to the Deed of Understanding between NZ Post and the Government, resetting minimum store requirements for the first time in about 40 years.
NZ Post says 142 partner stores will lose services in 2026, while the remaining network of 567 outlets will reflect a shift away from letters toward parcel-based services.
NZ Post general manager of consumer services Sarah Sandoval said the changes would make the network “more sustainable and commercially responsible”, adding that 90% of New Zealanders in urban areas would remain within 4km of a post shop.
But there are concerns that will not be the case for many Western Heights residents, who will need to travel further to the remaining outlet at the Westend Dairy on Malfroy Rd.
Western Heights Four Square owner Vinesh Kumar said the closure would have a significant impact on the community.
“It’s going to affect a lot of our customers, and some people will have to travel much further into town or even Ngongotahā, which is a long way for some customers,” he said.
Kumar said the store would have preferred to keep the post shop open, but accepted that the decision was out of its control.
“We’ve been here for almost 20 years,” he said. “We’ve got quite a few regulars who rely on this place, and they’ll be pretty disappointed.”
He expected a slight drop in sales but could not estimate how much.
Springfield Superette owner Raj Kumar said he first became aware a change might be coming about a year ago.
“I was disappointed, but they’ve got the blessing of the Government,” he said.
“The unions can fight, but, at the end of the day, we’re helpless, and now there’ll probably only be two or three post shops left in Rotorua. It’s a real shame.”
Kumar expects an initial drop of about 10% in revenue but is trying to remain pragmatic.
“People will have to get proactive and move to booking couriers when they want,” he said.
He said older customers were likely to be most affected.
“It’s easy for millennials and younger generations, but older people will really struggle,” Kumar said.
Suburban shops were accessible, familiar and able to go “the extra mile” for customers who came not just for goods, but for service.
He sympathised with older people who rely on being able to send parcels and cards.
Grey Power Rotorua president Michelle Nahu said the closures were another example of essential services being lost to older residents.
“It will affect our members, as a lot of them still rely on the post shop,” she said. “It’s old school, but people trust their local post office and the people behind the counter.”
She said disability, transport access and unfamiliar technology would turn what was once a simple errand, paying bills, posting a birthday card or sending a parcel, into a “big challenge” for many.
Grey Power plans to hold forums to help members adapt to the changes, Nahu said.
Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell said she understood “times are changing” and that organisations have a need to consider costs and their priorities moving forward.
“I know this will be sad news to locals that still value easy access to post offices in their neighbourhood as this has been a valuable service to our community.”
Rotorua Lakes councillor Robert Lee, speaking as a Springfield resident, said while the post shop had long been part of the community, residents would need to adjust.
“It’s going to be a minor inconvenience, but it’s not insurmountable,” he said. “We live in changing times, and there’s little or nothing we can do about it.”
Rotorua will continue to have NZ Post services at the Westend Dairy on Malfroy St, Paper Plus at Central Mall, Te Ngae Four Square, and Ngongotahā Books, Lotto and PostShop.
Rural outlets in Mourea, Rotoiti, Reporoa and Kaingaroa are unaffected.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.