DX Mail has a direct delivery service operating in Dunedin, Invercargill, and Gore, but elsewhere in the South uses New Zealand Post's network, including to service its Southern District Health Board contract, Freightways managing director Dean Bracewell says.
Mr Bracewell, of Auckland, was contacted for comment about delivery times of hospital letters.
DX Mail, which specialises in business mail, is part of Freightways, and has held the contract for delivering Southern District Health Board mail for the past 12 months.
The South's breast-screening service uses New Zealand Post.
Yesterday, Dunedin resident Jane Dawber was featured in the Otago Daily Times because of a delay delivering a breast-screening appointment letter.
Ms Dawber lives just three blocks from Dunedin Hospital.
While the story mostly concerned the 14-day delivery time of that letter, for which New Zealand Post is responsible, Ms Dawber also experienced a five-day wait for a DX-delivered letter.
Mr Bracewell said it was a ''rare exception'' for DX not to deliver letters in one to three working days in its direct mail service.
Its local metropolitan target was next-day delivery.
''We're delivering overnight, and three days would be on the outside.''
DX delivered five days a week in Dunedin and Invercargill, and three days a week in Gore.
Asked if DX letters delivered by New Zealand Post took longer because of the extra handling, Mr Bracewell said ''no''.
''NZ Post provides the same delivery to DX as it does to its own customers. [A] recent test letter programme confirmed this.
''As demand grows for DX Mail's services, it will increase its network and extend its next-day delivery service.''
DX lodged letters with New Zealand Post the same day they were received.
A ''gap in the market'' existed for a business mail delivery service, and demand was growing.
The contract with Southern District Health Board appeared to work well.
DX letters delivered by New Zealand Post should be delivered within three working days, the same standard the national postal service offered its own customer base, he said.
The ODT was also contacted yesterday by a Fairfield resident, who did not want to be named, who said a hospital letter delivered by DX took more than two months to arrive.
The Southern District Health Board did not respond to questions yesterday.
