Rural post delivery

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tech1234

12 posts

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#270421 8-May-2020 15:53

Years ago when we lived rurally in NZ we had to pay the Post office a yearly fee so our rural postie would deliver our mail. It seemed unfair at the time as when we posted items back to the UK they were delivered anywhere in the UK without the receiver paying extra. However, because the rural delivery guy here would also deliver milk bread and other items we didn't complain and put up with it.

Now we are back again in NZ getting a rural delivery and obviously the system has changed.We no longer have to pay a yearly fee but pay extra for every item sent to us from within NZ, but now, cannot get milk or bread etc delivered.

Can someone explain how the rural delivery is funded?

Does the rural postie get a Wage from NZPost?
Is he paid per item?
Does he get the extra "rural fee" ?
Does he get paid extra for delivering junk mail?
Does he get extra for delivering newspapers?
Would he like it or hate it if we had lots of parcels delivered?

SaltyNZ

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2degrees

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#2479386 8-May-2020 16:11

Delivery prices are just higher for rural deliveries. Source: am rural delivery.

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JeremyNzl

359 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2479463 8-May-2020 18:29

I understood, For the mail and parcels

They have their volume of deliveries assessed at certain times and they're paid based on this.

The gripe is the assessments are never the busy times, and when under peaks they do more for less.

It gripes me like all postage the rural charge i pay is more often than not the actual cost a lot of times.

Again overseas deliveries pay once and it gets delivered.

Our rural postie is a great guy, happy to leave my urgent parcels at the depot. or let me chase him down on his run.

So I can get my gear 4-6hrs earlier

Lastman

306 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2479515 8-May-2020 22:51

I have a lot of parcels delivered to family in town as the RD charge on purchases can be up to $10 (I’m not far from a city). The ideal for me would be having parcels delivered to a postbox but the system doesn’t allow this. Most rural people go to a town/city for supplies once or twice a week so easy to pick up parcels.

I can see the reason for the charge but the amount sellers add is so random. Many rural post delivery runs would probably make as much money without it because of the amount of avoidance it encourages.

clevedon

1059 posts

Uber Geek

#2479606 9-May-2020 08:42

Our rural post is delivered by contractors who all belong to a co-op, NZ post deliver to them and then they deliver to us - they don't do it for free. Parcels cost extra but regular mail doesn't.

Geektastic

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#2479693 9-May-2020 12:12

We chose to have a PO Box in the village rather than use RP because (a) we do not like mailboxes at the end of the drive - too American - and (b) we travel often (or used to...!) and did not want a few days of mail piling up for short trips where placing a hold on the mail was not really necessary.

It has worked well. I was not aware that you no longer had to pay for RD - that must be a relatively recent change. Last time I looked a few years ago, you still did - about $130 a year I think. You also paid more to send stuff RD AS WELL so not sure how that worked!

It makes life tricky - neither RD nor PO Boxes are perfect solutions to the problem. Simple universal delivery would be more customer friendly for sure.

bagheera

536 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2479703 9-May-2020 12:27

If you do not want to pay rd price, and have no one in town, then just get it ship to countdown and pickup with your weekly shop

https://www.countdown.co.nz/shopping-made-easy/parcel-collect

Lastman

306 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2479726 9-May-2020 12:53

bagheera:

If you do not want to pay rd price, and have no one in town, then just get it ship to countdown and pickup with your weekly shop

https://www.countdown.co.nz/shopping-made-easy/parcel-collect

Interesting that they’re doing that. Don’t know that I’d trust my local countdown with parcels though given their track record with online shopping.

Geektastic

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#2479729 9-May-2020 12:57

bagheera:

If you do not want to pay rd price, and have no one in town, then just get it ship to countdown and pickup with your weekly shop

https://www.countdown.co.nz/shopping-made-easy/parcel-collect

The problem with living rurally is where your local Countdown might be.

Mine is a mere 80km round trip...!

quickymart

13728 posts

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#2479739 9-May-2020 13:16

Geektastic:

We chose to have a PO Box in the village rather than use RP because (a) we do not like mailboxes at the end of the drive - too American - and (b) we travel often (or used to...!) and did not want a few days of mail piling up for short trips where placing a hold on the mail was not really necessary.

It has worked well. I was not aware that you no longer had to pay for RD - that must be a relatively recent change. Last time I looked a few years ago, you still did - about $130 a year I think. You also paid more to send stuff RD AS WELL so not sure how that worked!

It makes life tricky - neither RD nor PO Boxes are perfect solutions to the problem. Simple universal delivery would be more customer friendly for sure.

They got rid of the rural delivery charge years and years ago. I know because my parents live rurally and had to pay it for some time. I think they got rid of it in the 1990's.

Confirmed, it was 1995: https://www.nzpost.co.nz/about-us/who-we-are/history-of-new-zealand-post

Geektastic

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#2479803 9-May-2020 15:51

quickymart:

Geektastic:

We chose to have a PO Box in the village rather than use RP because (a) we do not like mailboxes at the end of the drive - too American - and (b) we travel often (or used to...!) and did not want a few days of mail piling up for short trips where placing a hold on the mail was not really necessary.

It has worked well. I was not aware that you no longer had to pay for RD - that must be a relatively recent change. Last time I looked a few years ago, you still did - about $130 a year I think. You also paid more to send stuff RD AS WELL so not sure how that worked!

It makes life tricky - neither RD nor PO Boxes are perfect solutions to the problem. Simple universal delivery would be more customer friendly for sure.

They got rid of the rural delivery charge years and years ago. I know because my parents live rurally and had to pay it for some time. I think they got rid of it in the 1990's.

Confirmed, it was 1995: https://www.nzpost.co.nz/about-us/who-we-are/history-of-new-zealand-post

Odd. We moved to a rural address in 2007 and they tried to charge us then...!

SaltyNZ

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#2479908 9-May-2020 19:18

Geektastic:

Odd. We moved to a rural address in 2007 and they tried to charge us then...!

We've been here since 2009 and have never had to pay.

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These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

timba

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2479942 9-May-2020 20:42

I live outside of the Rural delivery area which means the post office will supply a PO Box free of charge for courier parcels I normally get them delivered to the couriers agent in town the problem with that is I need to now which company it is coming on and use the address for the appropriate agent most online ordering systems don't let you know who they use which means I have to ask questions before I can order them just to make it difficult the courier companies seem to transfer parcels to other companies if they don't have much going in that direction but agent I have addressed the parcel to is now wrong and refuses to accept the parcel

rhy7s

613 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2479951 9-May-2020 21:02

What I find annoying is we get a rural delivery charge added to parcels but we have to go in to the post office to pick them up, don't get notified of their arrival and the post is only open for an hour a day. So it's a bit wasteful of fuel and time taking a punt on going in to see if anything has arrived. For NZ Post Couriers they at least waive the charge if addressed to Counter Delivery but other Couriers just pass the parcels off to NZ Post 150km away anyway while tacking a RD charge on, I don't see what we're getting for that, no tracking or confirmed delivery. The regular post is much more reliable and faster for us than couriers.

tech1234

12 posts

Geek
Inactive user

#2479959 9-May-2020 21:12

Thanks for all the replies.
Still cannot understand where all the extra rural delivery fees go.

Would also have thought that the rural delivery drivers would have grabbed the opportunity during the various lockdowns to earn some extra money by again delivering milk bread etc.for which there would have been a big demand.
I suspect that it mustn't matter to them or, are they not allowed.
Do NZPost pay for the RD driver to complete a run 5 or 6 days a week whether they have any deliveries or not, as they have to collect mail from any rural properties who put their flag up.
Or am I missing something here?
How does one become a rural delivery driver?
Are they employed by NZpost?
Is it a franchise system where they pay NZ Post and are guaranteed some work?
Or is it a tender for the contract to deliver the mail only?

timba

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2479968 9-May-2020 21:29

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