A postie who used Facebook to criticise his job and humiliate a workmate says he did it "for a laugh" and didn't know anyone could read his blogs.

The Government has underwritten Kiwibank's growth plans by providing its parent NZ Post with a backup funding facility it can draw on in emergencies.

New Zealand Post Group will be returning less money than forecast to government coffers this year.

NZ Post chairman Jim Bolger has suggested reducing mail deliveries to every second day and ending Saturday deliveries to save money.

Homeowners are being targeted by advertisers using private information from building consent applications to solicit sales.