NZ Post said it will shut down 142 service counters located in convenience stores, pharmacies, and libraries nationwide.
These closures stem from an updated deed of understanding between NZ Post and the government, which resets minimum post shop requirements for the first time since the 1980s.
The company said 567 post shops will remain open nationwide, with rural post shops unaffected.
“A lot has changed since the 1980s, when our minimum store requirements were last set,” NZ Post general manager of consumer Sarah Sandoval said.
“Customers now rely far more on NZ Post stores for collecting and sending parcels compared to letters. The retail network needs to be rebalanced to better suit how people use our services today and into the future.”
Sandoval said the remaining network stores would still be larger than any New Zealand supermarket or bank branch network. “90% of Kiwis living in urban areas will still be within four kilometres of a New Zealand Post store,” she added.
The company plans to upgrade select remaining stores and launch new retail hubs for sending, collecting, and returning parcels. Two such hubs are already operating in Auckland—at Newmarket and Hardinge Street—with additional ones planned for Christchurch and Palmerston North later this year.