Postcodes in New Zealand


Postcodes in New Zealand consist of four digits, the first two of which specify the area, the third the type of delivery, and the last the specific lobby, RD number, or suburb. The present postcode system was introduced in New Zealand in June 2006, which, unlike the previous system, applies to all items of mail with effect from June 2008. In October 2008, New Zealand Post launched a 'remember your postcode' campaign, offering a NZ$10,000 prize for remembering a postcode.
This replaced a previous system, introduced in 1977, in which New Zealand Post did not require individual items of mail to include the postcode in the address. Optical character recognition enabled automated sorting machines to scan entire addresses, rather than just postcodes, as was the case with older machines. OCR technology was introduced in 1992; when the first of seven OCR machines were installed in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch Mail Centres, most mail was sorted manually.

Allocation

There are 1856 postcodes, each of which may serve up to 10000 individual locations. Postcodes are generally allocated north to south.
In cities and large towns, the last two digits indicate one of the four modes of delivery, as illustrated by addresses in Palmerston North:
Although postcodes were first introduced in New Zealand in 1977, these were used entirely for pre-sorting large volumes of mail in bulk, similar to the Mailsort system used by Royal Mail in the United Kingdom. Consequently, postcodes were not usually seen in addresses:
Under the old system, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch were divided into postal zones, which were incorporated into the postcode system for use in bulk mailings. For example, for the former Wellington 4:
In cities and large towns, the last two digits indicated the mode of delivery, as illustrated by addresses in Palmerston North:
Street address:
Post Office Box address:
Private Bag address
Rural Delivery address
NB: Prior to the changeover, New Zealand Post also required that a space be inserted between the letters 'P' and 'O' in 'PO Box' or 'R' and 'D' in 'RD'.

Māori names

New Zealand Post recognises Māori names for cities and towns in New Zealand; for example, the Māori Language Commission's address is:
In English, this translates as:
In spite of the considerable difference between the two languages, there was no need to add the postcode under the old system, which in this case would have been 6015.

Freepost

Mail to members of the New Zealand Parliament is delivered free of charge for individuals. The cost is deducted from the Member's budget.
Other Freepost mail includes a unique number as well as the PO Box or Private Bag number:

Third-party registered postal operators

Until recently NZ Post has had the majority of influence on Private Box rentals. But now DX Mail and Private Box provide an alternative solution for people who need a remote box address. Along with the new competitors in the marketplace NZ Post may find it difficult to keep up with the new addressing system, which is why they have set a standard for addressing mail.