Gray’s Studio owner Chris Collins said he wants the post box outside his framing studio at 78 Highgate in Belleknowes to remain.
A woman had been counting mail in the box most afternoons for the past three months but stopped after posting a note on the box.
The note reads: "Due to low usage, NZ Post plans to remove this box from February 3, 2017. Please note the nearest posting box to this location is 279 Highgate, post boxes can also be found near many shops, supermarkets and along main routes."
The reason for the removal angered Mr Collins.
"This is a main route — it’s Highgate — they’re taking it out of a main route," Mr Collins said.
He feared the removal was part of a "crazed financial plan" by NZ Post.
He expected the plan to be defended by executives with claims the box was not used enough to warrant its existence.However, from his studio, he saw it being used regularly including by elderly residents and local business people.
Excellent events owner Craig Bush, of Hart St, close to Highgate, would have liked NZ Post to have consulted the community before removing the post box or discussed how it could be retained.
"There must be another alternative."
NZ Post regional service delivery manager Murray Rei said people could provide feedback to NZ Post on the proposed removal by following the instructions on the note on the box.
"This will be taken into account before a final decision is made, as well as the number of letters being lodged there and the proximity of other boxes."
The daily average of mail lodged in the box was 31, The usage was "on the threshold" as NZ Post considered a box viable when 30 items a day were lodged, he said.
However, the main reason for the proposed removal was its proximity to the post box at Fresh Choice supermarket, 650m away.
"As mail volumes continue to fall, we want post boxes to be in locations where people go for other day-to-day activities like doing the shopping, so they can post their mail at the same time."
The annual cost of clearing and maintaining a post box varies and could cost up to $800, he said.
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The post box outside the Leith Valley camping ground in Malvern St disappeared recently, seemingly without warning. I went to post a letter on the way home a couple of weeks ago and it was gone. Really annoying. Surely the point is not to locate ALL postboxes at shopping centres but to give people who don't have transport or can't get to the shops very often the chance to use the mail service within a reasonable walking distance of where they live. If that is NZ Post's logic, then can we assume they're going to remove all suburban postboxes? They cut delivery to three times a week, keep putting up the price of stamps, and now systematically remove access to postboxes. This is not an acceptable service. No wonder the use of post is declining. They are hardly encouraging people to use it. How many postboxes have been removed from around Dunedin? It would be interesting to see the numbers.