Residents at a Dunedin aged-care home are celebrating after saving their local postbox from closure.
"Hooray, hooray'', was 96-year-old Margaret Malcolm's reaction yesterday when she was told New Zealand Post had decided not to remove the postbox at 210 Balmacewen Rd, which is outside the Abbeyfield independent living facility.
The removal of five other Dunedin postboxes would go ahead as planned on Monday, however, because of claimed low usage.
Mrs Malcolm, who is visually impaired, uses the postbox at least once a week.
She had phoned NZ Post twice about the threatened removal.
"I told them, don't they dare remove it.''
Abbeyfield has eight residents, and some of the others made their views known to the state-owned enterprise, too.
Abbeyfield housekeeper Robyn Thomson said she appreciated the change of heart.
"We have some very happy people here.''
Other older people are fighting to keep their postbox, too.
In Halfway Bush, a petition to save two postboxes in Taieri Rd had gathered 108 signatures in less than three days.
It was organised by Phyl Beagley (85) and her friend Gaynor Earl (86).
Mrs Beagley said she was "thrilled'' for the Abbeyfield residents, and hoped NZ Post would grant a reprieve for at least one of the Taieri Rd postboxes.
Losing the postboxes would have a big impact on local residents,'' Mrs Beagley said.
"We won't have one postbox up in this area.''
NZ Post Otago and Southland regional manager Murray Rei said the future of the Balmacewen Rd postbox would be reviewed in about a year.
"The postbox at 210 Balmacewen Rd will stay in place for now, but we will review customer use again at a later date.
"We took the feedback we received about the Balmacewen box into account before making our final decision.''
Very little feedback had been received about the other five postboxes, he said.
"Times are changing, and we will continue to identify and remove boxes where customers aren't using them, and where it's just not viable for us to maintain and service a postbox.''
