Legalising Alternate Day Delivery: The Reshaping of the Universal Postal Service in New Zealand

In October 2013, New Zealand became the first developed nation to allow its postal universal service provider, New Zealand Post, the legal right to switch to alternate day delivery. The new system will be rolled out from July 2015. This paper is designed to assist those who wish to better understand the New Zealand outcome, and who may be considering such a change themselves. After describing the regulatory and commercial environments in the New Zealand postal market, it summarises the financial situation that inspired the original proposal for three day delivery, the response from respondents to the public consultation, and the precise nature of the new deal between the Government and NZ Post.