Robert Morey's nearest postbox, in Charters St, is one of six in Dunedin tagged for removal on June 27.
The others are in Brockville Rd, Wray St, Charters St, Taieri Rd (two) and Balmacewen Rd. New Zealand Post has also taken out five postboxes in Northeast Valley, Pine Hill and Opoho, in the past 12 months.
Dunedin has 100 street postboxes (including those tagged for removal this month), and all are under "review'', but New Zealand Post is unable to say how many might go.
"I realise that NZ Post is trying to save money, but the ones most affected by these removals will be the old, who don't normally have email, and people without transport, of whom we have many in Brockville.
"The courier who empties these postboxes has to pass the ones being removed to get to the one at the shops, so there is very little saving in time and distance,'' Mr Morey said.
The decisions were made by officials in "ivory towers'' with very little consideration of people's needs, Mr Morey said.
Mr Morey wrote to the Otago Daily Times, as did Opoho resident Simon Cantem, who recently went to use a postbox on the corner of Blacks Rd and Signal Hill Rd, Opoho, only to find it gone and the space concreted over.
"The removal of this postbox is disappointing for our suburb, especially for our older residents who will now need to travel down into the valley to post a letter.
"I can understand reducing the frequency of collection due to declining volumes but to remove a community's postbox entirely seems counterintuitive to encouraging people to use the service,'' Mr Cantem wrote.
New Zealand Post Otago and Southland manager Murray Rei, in a statement, cited declining usage, and said New Zealand Post counted letters posted in a box for four weeks before deciding whether to close it.
The state-owned enterprise had considered the needs of older people, but the postboxes still had to go.
"We need to balance that with how much mail is being posted in a postbox and whether it is sustainable to keep it in place.''
The Postal Workers Union has opposed the removal of postboxes around New Zealand.
Southern district president John Maynard said the union received regular reports from posties who were asked to take letters from people who had had their local box removed.
"New Zealand Post has been systematically stripping whole city suburbs of their postboxes.''
Mr Maynard said public opposition was successful in saving a postbox in New Plymouth.
"Clearly, we would need a more organised public response to challenge the ideology of privatisation and profit undermining the integrity of a once proud institution built up by generations of taxpayers,'' Mr Maynard said.
Going, going . . .
Postboxes to be removed on June 27
• 9 Brockville Rd
• 30 Wray St
• 3 Charters St
• 465 Taieri Rd
• 422 Taieri Rd
• 210 Balmacewen Rd
