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Communities losing their Post Post Shops hope that the government will provide them with a solution in the form of "regional hubs".
Finance Minister Grant Robertson said earlier this week that poles for government-backed postal and banking services were a possibility given NZ Post's plan to close its last 79 standalone Post Shops and offer them as franchises.
However, exploration of the idea of the centers was just beginning, said a spokesman for the minister.
Gray Power National President Mac Welch called NZ Post's decision "absolutely shocking" and said the government should step in.
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"I am totally against it, the level of service has already been significantly reduced."
In his neighborhood, the Coromandel, the Post Shop was "totally overcrowded".
"It's absolute nonsense.The attitude is profit, profit, profit."
HAMISH McNEILLY / STUFF
NZ Post is looking to close its remaining 79 Autonomous Post Shops.
Welch said the decision would particularly affect its members. "Older people are the biggest users of postal services, so that affects us a lot.
"Members came to see me and said it was elder abuse."
Craig Waterhouse, of the South Dunedin Business Association, said a decision in June to close the Kiwibank and Post Shop in his area had devastating effects on many residents.
"This will have a huge impact on the people of South Dunedin … You can still have a branch in a franchise service … but the services they provide are just postal services."
"What we are trying to keep in South Dunedin are all the other services of a combined branch – you have bill payments and many other services."
EMILY HEYWARD / STUFF
Greypower President Mac Welch said many older people were not equipped to deal with the loss of their jobs and banking.
The bank was another problem. Even if a Kiwibank outlet would stay in the downtown core, not everyone was able to get there or migrate to online banking, Waterhouse said.
His group has launched two petitions, one online and one on paper. The online site has only 360 signatures, while the newspaper has more than 3,500.
"This is a huge indication of the number of people connected in South Dunedin, people just are not here – they have neither the income nor the will to do it, and they can not afford to travel to the city to use these services. "
Waterhouse was hoping that a "hub" planned by the city council in south Dunedin for its library and other government departments could incorporate a PostShop, even if it would cost some money. buy the franchise.
But Taxpayer Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke said NZ Post's financial losses ultimately affected the taxpayer and that the taxpayer had to evolve over time.
"It is important for the service to respond to new consumer trends, even when it involves difficult decisions, such as branch closures.
"Keeping 79 individual post offices is an inefficient use of the taxpayer's resources, knowing that these services could easily be integrated with other companies." The decrease in the use of postal services should justify a smaller investment in the taxpayer's share. "
BEVAN READ / STUFF
The bookstore and post office of Auckland City Hospital closed their doors last year.
New Zealand's plans stemmed from a request from the Official Information Act addressed to the Johnsonville Community Association to know the fate of its own post store.
The president of the association, Simon Pleasants, said that NZ Post had the statutory obligation to be a good company, a good employer and a good neighbor.
"They just raise their hands and give in. It's financially viable."
He stated that places in Europe have adapted to the challenges of the physical post in the contemporary era by taking advantage of existing substation infrastructure.
"They change, instead of giving up."
But a spokesman for the New Zealand post said nothing would happen immediately.
Finding local business partners such as supermarkets and bookstores could be lengthy and take "several months".
"This type of partnership with local businesses is beneficial to our customers because these local businesses often have longer opening hours than traditional post office stores and are often in more convenient locations."
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