PrintNZ has been lobbying Government for the last 18 months about the continuing postage increases that have seen the price of posting a letter escalate by 75% over the last 5 years, threatening the viability of print communications across New Zealand. This included a widespread campaign where we engaged with Ministers, government officials and multiple media outlets highlighting the impact of these increases.

The Government recently provided an opportunity for consultation on proposed changes to the way NZ Post operates, however all of the proposed changes focus on frequency and breadth of delivery. Despite this PrintNZ again focussed their submission on trying to have some measures of control put in place regarding pricing as any changes to the frequency and location of delivery services are irrelevant if the service is unaffordable. Our recommendations include: 

• Price increase caps tied to inflation or cost indices
• Requirements for industry consultation before significant rate changes
• Different rate structure for essential business communications
• Volume based incentives that make services accessible to smaller operators

 As an industry, print is the largest generator of posted material so we have also asked for the opportunity to coordinate a postal industry group to provide an ongoing platform for consultation.

 New Zealand Post is a publicly owned organisation with a mandate that extends beyond the scope of a typical commercial enterprise, and as an entity owned by the People of New Zealand, it carries an obligation to deliver services that provide a public benefit as well as purely commercial considerations.  The letterbox remains the only way to communicate with every household in New Zealand and we need to make sure that remains affordable and accessible.

Link to full article HERE