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Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night (nor a controversial deed of understanding) will stay couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds… in Patumahoe at least.
While cuts to postal services in Paerata, Clarks Beach and Takanini will still go ahead (from June) Patumahoe Four Square has been granted a reprieve.
Port Waikato MP, Andrew Bayly, labelled NZ Post’s plans to cease postal services in Franklin as “annoying and disruptive”. He is now pleased that the mailman will still deliver to some degree.
“Following a request from the store owners and feedback from the community, NZ Post has decided to retain postal services at the Four Square,” he says. “[This is] good news for residents of Patumahoe.”
As previously reported in Franklin Times, both Bayly and Franklin Ward Councillor, Andy Baker, have been outspoken about the need for services in the region to be retained.
NZ Post is set to remove services from more than 140 urban retail partner stores – while retaining a network of more than 500 outlets – in efforts to become more financially viable.
Recently, Patumahoe was named by NZ Post as one of a handful of sites nationwide that will retain some or all services, a spokesperson confirmed.
“We received requests from 26 stores to review the decision we had made. In each case, we took another look at our decision by carefully considering all feedback and information provided against our established criteria – including accessibility of our services, local customer use, and how travel times work in reality for the community.
“In a small number of cases [including Patumahoe], new information provided during the review materially changed the store’s position and we have been able to offer retaining some or all NZ Post services.
“We understand how important these decisions are for local communities and appreciate the constructive discussions we have had with our retail partners and communities through this process.”
The cuts stem from The Postal Deed of Understanding between NZ Post and the government that requires the state-owned enterprise (SOE) to become ‘financially self-funding.’ It comes as a response to huge declines in mail volumes while costs have remained high, making parts of the old network unsustainable.
Despite this, NZ Post posted a half-year net profit of $33 million in February. The organisation’s chief executive, David Walsh, says this reflects continued momentum toward commercial sustainability.
“This result was achieved despite the backdrop of a slow economy, with revenue improving by 3.7 per cent. Alongside this, ongoing tight cost control and efficiencies from our investment in automation saw total operating costs reduced by 1.2 per cent,” he says.
“NZ Post is on target to return a modest [full year] profit, noting that the seasonal nature of revenues and volumes sees the group earnings profile weighted toward the first half of the financial year.”
