In June 2006, New Zealand introduced a new postcode system, which, unlike the previous system, applies to all items of mail, from June 2008.
Contents
- Allocation
- Examples
- Previous system
- Mori names
- Freepost
- Third party registered postal operators
- References
New Zealand Post did not require individual items of mail to include the postcode in the address, as optical character recognition (OCR) enabled automated sorting machines to scan entire addresses, rather than just post codes, as was the case with older machines. Until the early 1990s, all mail was sorted manually.
There are 1856 4-digit postcodes, each of which may serve up to 10000 individual locations. They start with 0 in Northland and progress southward, ending with codes starting with 9 in Otago and Southland.
In October 2008, New Zealand Post launched a 'remember your postcode' campaign, offering a NZ$10,000 prize for remembering a postcode.
Allocation
The first two digits specify the area, the third digit specifies the type of delivery (street, PO Box, Private Bag, or Rural delivery), and the last digit specifies the specific lobby, RD (rural delivery) number, or suburb.
Examples
In cities and large towns, the last two digits indicate one of the four modes of delivery, as illustrated by addresses in Palmerston North:
Previous system
Although postcodes were first introduced in New Zealand in 1977, these were used entirely for pre-sorting large volumes of mail in bulk, similar to the Mailsort system used by Royal Mail in the United Kingdom. Consequently, post codes were not usually seen in addresses:
New Zealand PostPrivate Bag 39990Wellington Mail CentreLower HuttUnder the old system, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch were divided into postal zones, which were incorporated into the post code system for use in bulk mailings. For example, for the former Wellington 4:
Flat 2173 Park RoadJohnsonvilleWellington 6004In cities and large towns, the last two digits indicated the mode of delivery, as illustrated by addresses in Palmerston North:
Street address:
43 Vogel StreetPalmerston North 5301Post Office Box address:
P O Box 4000Palmerston North 5315Private Bag address
Private Bag 11222Palmerston North 5320Rural Delivery address
Railway RoadR D 10Palmerston North 5321NB: Prior to the changeover, New Zealand Post also required that a space was inserted between the letters 'P' and 'O' in 'PO Box' or 'R' and 'D' in 'RD'.
Māori names
New Zealand Post recognises Māori names for cities and towns in New Zealand; for example, the Māori Language Commission's address is:
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo MāoriPouaka Poutāpeta 411Te Whanganui a Tara 6140In English, this translates as:
Māori Language CommissionPO Box 411Wellington 6140In spite of the considerable difference between the two languages, there was no need to add the post code under the old system, which in this case would have been 6015.
Freepost
Mail to Members of the Parliament of New Zealand is delivered free of charge for individuals (organisations must pay regular rates). The cost is deducted from the Member's budget.
Rt Hon Bill EnglishPrime MinisterPrivate Bag 18888Parliament BuildingsWellington 6160Other Freepost mail includes a unique number as well as the PO Box or Private Bag number:
Freepost 112002CARMPO Box 913Dunedin 9054Third party registered postal operators
Until recently NZ Post has had the majority of influence on Private Box rentals. But now DX Mail and Private Box provide an alternative solution for people who need a remote box address. Along with the new competitors in the marketplace NZ Post may find it difficult to keep up with the new addressing system, which is why they have set a standard for addressing mail.