Nine community post shops in Otago and four in Southland, have been axed in a major shakeup of the state-owned enterprise where NZ Post will remove services from 142 retail partner stores across the country.
But North End Oamaru Post Shop owners Paul and Jan Denny said they would fight the chop.
"We are disappointed to be facing closure of our NZ Post agency as the restructuring of NZ Post’s business includes the likelihood of a single outlet in Oamaru," a statement from the couple said.
"Over the past 14 years we have tried to offer the very best possible assistance to our customers, who have appreciated a high level of personal service.
"We will ask NZ Post to review their position and will work hard to try and achieve this, so that this facility is not lost.
"The support of our customers and the community would be valued in this regard."
The business would be running as usual until June 23.
The couple’s Lotto’nThings business, including their passport photo business, was unaffected.
NZ Post consumer general manager Sarah Sandoval said the present retail network was much bigger than required for today’s mail volumes.
"While these changes will see NZ Post remove services from 142 urban retail partner stores nationwide in 2026, the remaining network of 567 stores will still be significantly larger than any New Zealand supermarket or bank branch network.
"In fact, 90% of Kiwis living in urban areas will still be within 4km of an NZ Post store," Ms Sandoval said.
"A lot has changed since the 1980s, when our minimum store requirements were last set.
"Customers now rely far more on NZ Post stores for collecting and sending parcels compared to letters.
"The retail network needs to be rebalanced to better suit the way customers use our products and services today and into the future.
"We’ve carefully assessed customer and network data and engaged with our retail partners to understand where changes make sense, while maintaining access to the right mix of services in communities."
As part of the transformation, NZ Post would upgrade some of its own stores and introduce new retail hubs designed to reflect how New Zealanders send, receive and access services.
The changes have been enabled by a recent update to the deed of understanding, an agreement between NZ Post and the government, which reset the minimum store requirements for the first time since the 1980s.
"This enables NZ Post to adapt its retail network to keep pace with what matters most to customers and deliver the services they now expect," NZ Post said.
Mr Denny told Allied Media he hoped an appeal would help NZ Post "see sense".
He said the shop served more than just the north end of Oamaru; it also catered to residents in the Waitaki Valley, as well as those in Glenavy, in the neighbouring Waimate district, and workers at the Alliance Group Pukeuri plant north of town.
The NZ Post reforms also missed the point that many NZ Post retail customers, especially in Oamaru, were elderly, "just like us", he said.
"They appreciate the in-person support."
The moves, if unchanged, would mean the only NZ Post agency will be located at Paper Plus in Oamaru’s town centre.
Asked about the appeal, Ms Sandoval said was unable to provide an exact timeframe but "we can assure our retail partners that this is a priority ..."
"We’re dedicating the time needed to thoroughly review any concerns and feedback raised with us by retail partners and will provide a written response once ... completed."
