Post office plight spurs plea

Arrowtown Post Office is defying the latest national trend of post shop closures, but its managers say more residents need to use the Lakes District Museum-owned service to stop it from being turned into another cafe.

Postmistress Marilyn Everett has been in charge of what is the village hub since the New Zealand Post agency contract was taken on by the museum 20 years ago. Museum trustees did not want the service reduced to a corner counter in a dairy or see one of Arrowtown's most photographed landmarks lose its reason for existence.

The axe hovered over the post and telegraph office again in 1995, when NZ Post was set to sell the historic building.

However, the community rallied together to save their post office.

The museum bought the building for $175,000, which was below valuation. The Queenstown Lakes District Council chipped in with $40,000 from a land sale and the museum with more than $50,000.

This left almost $85,000 for residents to raise and they succeeded in about 18 months, by the likes of raffles, jam sales and donations. A market day continues to be held every Boxing Day to raise funds for the post office's maintenance.

However, Mrs Everett described the financial situation of the post office as "very precarious".

"The population of Arrowtown has changed and a lot of them don't realise we are community-owned and run by the community, not New Zealand Post.

"We need financial assistance to keep it going. It's important to keep such a service in the town.

"We don't want to become a kiosk or a cafe. There's not many post offices of this age left in New Zealand that are still operating."

Mrs Everett is the only full-time staff member and manages three part-timers. They serve more than 400 customers a day during summer and about 200 a day in the quieter seasons.

Residents keep the doors open and the lights on, with tourists the "butter on the bread", she said.

The mother of two said she felt lucky to have been part of so many people's lives over the past two decades and had enjoyed watching Arrowtown's children and grandchildren grow up.

The post office had its regulars who stopped by for a chat when they paid their bills, changed their address, picked up their parcels or bought some of the novelty gifts. Newcomers to the village often asked staff for advice on various matters related to the town.

The post office has remained virtually unchanged since it was built in 1915 to replace the original one.

NZ Post moved internal partitions to make the interior larger and brighter and added the veranda and ramp in 1988. The operational red Edwardian pillar box came from Invercargill later the same year.

The post office, which won a New Zealand Tourism award in 1988, continues to be a drawcard for visitors, and New Zealanders, especially, appreciate its authenticity, Mrs Everett said.

"She's a lovely old lady for her age. There's a lot of reminiscing and so many say keep it the way it is and that's such a morale booster. That old-time feeling pulls at people's heart strings."