North Pole mail piles up as Kiwi kids let Santa know just how good they've been this year

Letters must be sent to Santa by Sunday December 4, to be sure of getting a response in the mail. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Thousands of letters and postcards from children promising they've been good, and certainly never naughty, are pouring in for Santa at New Zealand Post, ready to be delivered to the North Pole.

New Zealand Post has encouraged children to write to Santa now if they haven't already done so.

Letters and online postcards must be sent to the man in red by Sunday December 4, to be sure of getting a response in the post from a busy St Nick.

After that date, digital postcards sent to Santa will still get a reply by email.

"Families have really embraced the interactive website and we've already had over 10,000 digital postcards sent to Santa," said New Zealand Post spokeswoman Tina Morgan.

"Traditional letters remain popular too, and we've had more than 40,000 come in so far from individuals and schools."

New Zealand Post is working with the Blind Foundation and children can opt to be sent a response from Santa in large text or braille.

"Children have been sending some lovely messages and requests in to Santa," said Morgan.

Thousands of children are sending cards to Santa. And, for those who have not yet, there's still time to inform the man in red how good you've been. Photo / Supplied.

One child said their Christmas wish was that boys and girls who don't have much get lots of presents from Santa this year. Another wished Santa a safe journey and said she didn't mind what she got, but if Santa had a spare scooter, she would really like a red one.

Popular present requests show a taste for the finer things, from remote-control cars, bikes and scooters to devices such as tablets and phones.

Pets also feature on wish lists, including requests for a monkey, a penguin and a pony - as long as it is one that doesn't kick.

Santa will be busy this Christmas as 9 out of 10 children who've written in say they've been nice, and not naughty.

"That's a lot of deliveries for Santa," said Morgan. "But New Zealand Post will do its best to help out."

This year children can write a traditional letter to Santa and put it in the post, or go on to the Write to Santa website at www.nzpost.co.nz/writetosanta and have some fun decorating and sending their own digital postcard.