From November, New Zealand Post is to introduce a five day week mail delivery service in a number of rural areas in addition to those already receiving this.

In a statement, New Zealand Post said: “Changes to the Deed of Understanding with the Government in 2013 allowed New Zealand Post to move to five day delivery in rural areas. From 1 November, more delivery runs will move from six to five days a week. Currently about 15% of rural customers are on five day delivery and this will increase to about 25%.

“We’ve been able to maintain a six day service for three quarters of our rural customers nationwide, but in some places, we don’t have enough items coming through the network for a six day service to be sustainable,” said Mark Stewart, Chief Operating Officer, Customer Service Delivery.

“We’ll be notifying rural delivery customers affected by this change in the next few weeks.

“They’ll continue to be able to send and receive parcels and letters Monday to Friday.”

Stewart said that the adjustment was necessary in order to “maintain a commercially sound rural delivery network”.

New Zealand Post is now talking to its rural contractors about the changes. The runs affected are mainly in Southland and Otago as well as parts of Tasman, Nelson, the West Coast, North Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne.

Rural and more isolated locations are a headache for delivery companies around the world. Homes and businesses are spaced far apart and there is considerable cost in getting items to the general area for delivery. New Zealand Post is taking one option that many other postal operators may well be considering.