Postcodes have been used in New Zealand since 1977. Our customers have used them mainly for bulk mail lodgements and New Zealanders have not been required to know their postcode. This is very different from many countries where postcodes (or zip codes) are an integral part of an address.
The development of new suburbs, more apartment living and overall population growth has seen a 25% increase in delivery points in the last ten years. Added to this are a number of issues that present problems for efficient and accurate mail sorting and delivery. For example, suburb names are used interchangeably, street names are duplicated within metropolitan areas, there are the same or similar town names in use nationwide (e.g. Richmond and Palmerston/Palmerston North) and there are rural addresses without street numbers.
Postcodes help to resolve these problems by creating a unique address for every delivery point in New Zealand Post’s delivery network.
How Postcodes Work
From 1 July 2008, postcodes must be used to qualify for bulk mail discounts.
- The first digit of the postcode represents one of ten mail processing line areas (numbered 0 - 9), which process mail for a specific geographic region. These run north to south in ascending order.
- The second and third digits reflect postal sort areas and our New Zealand Post delivery network i.e. urban posties, New Zealand Post PO Boxes, Private Bags and RuralPost.
- The fourth digit identifies the specific box lobby, rural delivery round or urban area.
Postcode boundaries have been drawn to ensure every urban and rural delivery point within our network is uniquely identified by a combination of the street address and the postcode. There are no duplicate streets or addresses within a postcode boundary. Each New Zealand Post PO Box and Private Bag lobby and rural delivery area has been assigned its own unique postcode.
A complete definition of the entire New Zealand Post postcode network can be purchased now. See the Postcode Network File for more information.