KEY POINTS:
The price of a stamp for a standard domestic letter is to rise to 50c at the start of June, New Zealand Post said today.
The increase is the first since April 2004 when the price rose from 40c to 45c.
This forum debate has now closed. Here is a selection of your views on the topic.
H Wood
It will definitely change my postal habits. I have started to use the post a bit more in recent years, but now I will look to do more online. Yet another cost increase passed onto consumers. Its a bit of a contradiction actually. "NZ Post's mail chief Peter Fenton said growth in the number of addresses to which it delivers and higher labour costs had made the increases necessary." And then last months communication from NZ Post: Last month NZ Post chief executive John Allen said the volume of domestic letters handled by his company was falling at the fastest rate in six years. Domestic letter volumes have fallen by about 2.9 per cent in the last year having fallen by an average of 1 per cent annually over recent years. So its a bit of a contradiction dont you think? Once minute they have to increase due to rising addresses, and the next the rates have fallen. So why the increase then? Surely it would balance out? I am also sick of the comparison to other countries -we are constantly compared cost wise to countries that have a much larger population to support those increases. Ours is much smaller so you would expect things to be slightly less in comparison.
John Potter
NZ Post's service is excellent value for money, another 5c will make no difference to me. I do have email, but nothing is so personal as a hand written letter or card. A "lette"' can be 1cm thick (or 2 cm for a large letter). I regularly send small parcels like this from Auckland to Hastings at the letter rate, often they are there the next day. Michael I think it's perfectly reasonable, now that we don't even have a 5c piece. As noted in the paper, its still cheaper than most other comparable countries.
Kiwi Lisa
To moan about a 5c increase for a letter is absolutely pathetic, because compared to e.g. European postal services New Zealand is excellent. In e.g. Italy and Denmark zillions of letters disappear into the blue air each year and are either burned or stolen, by their own postal services, for never to be seen again. For those who still complain: Get a life! Or move to Italy or Denmark where no one gives a continental about your complaints.
Simon
NZ Post are not thinking. Why didn't they make it an increase of 10cents in 2004? Given the unreliable slow service they are currently providing why would you keep using them? Well I am not, everything I need to post can be done via email, and if they don't want it via email I put it on a website so they can download it when they want to. I thought that the introduction of the technology age we would become a paperless society, saving those trees etc.
WendyG
Well what a surprise! Not only do we lose the 5c coin but since then have had to pay 50c in cash for a stamp! And what's this talk about falling demand creating the price increase? Any good business person knows that you lower the price if your demand is falling! It's a load of old balloney! To me it's simply because they cannot give change from a 50c coin. So more to the point, why did the Government/ Bank of NZ decide to go without coins less than 10c?
Jeremy
Seems a bit like telegrams - it was a big deal at the time they stopped being sent - but now - who really miss them?! Really, its much easier - its not like they can give 5c change if you buy a 45c stamp anymore. Any hey - most people email and txt these days don't they? The slow ones are the banks and utilities that still post their damn invoices, even though they are paid by direct debit. Once those invoices stop being sent, then the mail volumes will really drop.
Niels
They say its because the volume of mail has increased! Excuse me!! Perhaps The Warehouse could take them over because they reduce prices when volumes increase.
Cathy
I still post letters and postcards, and am disappointed that the price is going up. I wouldn't mind if NZ Post showed more compassion to their employees and the price hike was to cover things like wage increases.
Kanny Young
No. not really. 50c is still a lot cheaper to send a cheque than driving 5 miles to deliver a cheque.
Michele
Another revenue gathering exercise by NZ Post. Just because they are the monopoly they think they can push us around. I say power to the email!
Raj Subramanian
Like all consumers I want the price to remain the same. But why can't NZ Post explore other avenues like "Email to letter posting" available in even Asian countries. Emails sent to postal companies are printed out and posted to the specified address. I would be prepared to pay extra for that, as it saves my time. In other developed countries they explore possibilities of serving consumers more and more with non-traditional stuff. Here old monopoly ways and unwilling companies to introduce new modern services. Hmmm.State monopoly companies are the main reason for New Zealand remaining in the lowest rank in OECD.
Julia Harris
It is hardly surprising that numbers of domestic letters are dropping when the increase of residences have computers with email, internet and MSN in order to communicate. Who on earth wants to write letters? In addition to this, the appalling length of time some local letters take to arrive at their destination certainly doesn't inspire my confidence in NZ Post - and don't get me started on the international parcel service and cost. Value for money? None! In the last two years I have found it necessary to send greeting cards to either Tauranga or Wellington days ahead of time to ensure they reach the recipient on time. NZ Post needs to smarten up their act before putting up the cost of the letter and comparing themselves with overseas postal services? They can only do this when their service competes.
Melissa
I used to get a lot of letters in the post. I have always keep them all. They in a draw and some in a filing box. They are from Grandparents and friends. Unfortunately I don't get many anymore due to new technology eg: email and text messaging but of course do still from my darling Nana. They are so much more personal and special.
Brenda
Is this a joke? - it already costs 50c as the 5c is gone! If you buy a 45c stamp with cash it costs 50c as there is no 5c piece. But then this an SOE - say no more.
Shane Kitson
It wouldn't have been so bad if they just put the price up by 10c back in 2004, because now I have the same problem I had back then, all over again - a whole bunch of 45c stamps. I gave up largely on old fashioned snail-mail before the first price increase, then I made a conscious effort to cut back even more when the price rose in 2004, now (thanks to modern technology) I think I can pretty much cut-out having to send (and more importantly "receive" - as it is becoming increasingly popular to cancel hard-mailed bills & statements in favour of cheaper & quicker methods) anything by traditional mail ever again (with the exception of my grandmothers birthday card).
Ruth
What difference will it make - they already charge 50c for a single 45c stamp! They are the only ones I have come across so far who round 5c up not down.
Tim Spooner
In the face of falling demand, NZ Post raises its prices. What a good idea! What happens when the amount of mail posted falls as a result? Why, increase the price again to make up for falling volumes! The last letter posted in NZ will have $10,000 of stamps on it at this rate. Just part of the plan to cut national service?
Robert
Wont change my habits. I gave up sending pen and ink may years ago, as soon as email began to become popular. However, I send more snail mail now than ever before, thanks to Trade Me. All that will happen is that the amount I charge buyers for postage will increase.
Gerd
I have used standard letters via the postal service only as the last resort now for more than a year. This increase will reduce my stamp usage even more.
Tony Mckay
Still need em to get the invoices out!
Jacqui Nordstrand
What a load of old balloney, the only reason the cost of a letter is going from 45c to 50c is because they have abolished the 5c coin so once again the average consumer has to bear the brunt of the powers that be's stupidity. When are the decision makers going to stop thinking we are stupid? The Post Office is between a rock and a hard place they didn't know how to give change. Swedish rounding Huh!
Ray Eyre
Typical. I have just spent $45.00 on a box of stamps Today. Now NZ Post decides that it wants an extra five cents. Why couldn't someone at my local Post shop tell me there was a price rise in the wind. Well bugger them, I will put only a 45 cent stamp on my letters.
