Address & Postcode Finder help

Having problems with the Address & Postcode Finder? Look through our help section or contact us for assistance.

Try our answers to common questions below or contact us on email, live chat or by phone on 0800 501 501 for assistance.

How do I enter flat and unit numbers?

Use the address format of 15/25 Grass Street.  The APF will search for a flat or unit 15 at number 25.  Check the autocomplete list for possible address matches as you type.

If the address is 25A Grass Street, the Address and Postcode Finder will display this result if you type in 25A Grass Street or 25 Grass Street.

I type an address but get no results, why?

There could be a few different reasons for this. Try the hints below to refine your search.

Use the autocomplete
It may be the name is spelt differently to the way you have entered it. It can be useful to type the number and the first few characters of the street name to see what results are listed.  Often, a problematic address can be found using the autocomplete functionality by slowing down typing speed.

Many addresses with unusual spelling can be seen in the drop down box if you give them enough time to appear. Type each character and give time for the drop down box to adjust to the new information. This may assist in finding addresses that are supplied with spelling errors.

Missing or additional spaces
Make sure you have the correct spelling of the street name.  A common error is incorrectly putting the space in the middle of the word (eg Pine Hill Crescent instead of Pinehill Crescent), or incorrectly combining two words into one (eg Tirakau Drive instead of Ti Rakau Drive).  Is it Sea View Road or Seaview Road? If you’re not sure, try both.

Another common misspelling is not entering the ‘s’ at the end of a name. For example, entering Princes Street, when the correct spelling is Princess Street is another common mistake.

Punctuation
The Address & Postcode Finder will list results in the autocomplete list once you have entered in a character.  It will show the potential addresses even if punctuation and hyphens are missing.

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Use a Comma separator
The system may not be able to interpret what you have typed.  Try putting a comma after the street name before entering a suburb or town name.  This will make it easier for the system to understand what you mean.

We might not know about the address
The address may not be in our database.  If you are looking for a postcode, try leaving out the number and start with the street name. You will receive a result with one or multiple postcodes referenced. 

If you are looking for a flat or unit number, try just putting in the base address to see a list of available unit numbers at that address eg instead of 15/25, just put in 25.

Rural road names
Many rural roads are named after the two places where the road joins.

For example, Otautau Drummond Road joins the two townships of Otautau and Drummond. This road will not be found when it is entered as Drummond Otautau Road, or Otautau/Drummond Road.

If you are having trouble with this type of address you can try:

  • Using a different separator eg “-“
  • Trying the road names in a different order
  • Consulting a map, or looking on the internet, eg Google maps.

Address ranges
If you put in a range of addresses ie. 7-27 Waterloo Quay the Address & Postcode Finder will display addresses with the first number of the range or any number within the range to find the address.

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Why do I get two addresses back sometimes?

For rural addresses we will return both the rural postal address and the physical address (see below).

What is a postal address?

A postal address is an address that New Zealand Post uses for the delivery of mail. In most cases it is the same as a physical address (see below). Our rural delivery customers however have a postal address that is different to their physical address as it includes an RD (Rural Delivery) number that is unique to New Zealand Post, plus a rural delivery round name and postcode.  The postal address should be used when addressing mail.

PO Box and Private Bag addresses are examples of postal addresses where there is no corresponding physical address.  They are unique to New Zealand Post.

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What is a physical address?

A physical address is an address that can be physically located. It will have as a minimum a street number, street name and a town or city name. A physical address is assigned by a Territorial Authority (Council).  In most cases the physical address is used for postal delivery.

In the case of our rural customers they have a postal address that is different to their physical address as it includes an RD (Rural Delivery) number that is unique to New Zealand Post, plus a rural delivery round name. The postal address should be used when addressing mail.

Why does the address show as not having mail delivery?

All known New Zealand addresses can be found in our Address & Postcode Finder, however not all New Zealand addresses receive mail delivery.  Some addresses will receive mail via a PO Box.  In some small rural townships where there is no mail delivery to street addresses, residents will receive mail via a PO Box or a “Counter Delivery” where mail is collected from the local PostCentre.

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Can a courier deliver to an address where there is no mail delivery?

Yes, couriers can deliver to most street addresses.  Deliveries to rural areas may be subject to a surcharge.  The courier company will be able to advise on this.

The suburb you have for my address is not correct

We use locality information (suburb, town and city names) that is provided by the NZ Fire Service and is in common use by emergency services and other organisations.  The suburb name we have listed may not be the name you normally use.  It is not necessary to use the suburb name we have listed in the address, it is only there so you can identify the address and postcode.

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What is a Community Mail Box?

If Rural Post contractors or Posties don’t deliver mail in an area, customers may be able to access a free New Zealand Post Community Mailbox.

Community mailbox mail items should be addressed as follows:
Mr A B Jones
CMB 23
RD 1
Runanga 7873

What is a Counter Delivery?

Counter Delivery can be used as a short term mailing address of up to three months or where no other mail delivery option exists. Recipients pick up their mail from the local PostCentre. Our Counter delivery service is available at PostShops and some PostCentre outlets.

Counter delivery mail should be addressed as follows:
Mr A B Jones
Counter Delivery
Eketahuna PostCentre
Eketahuna 4940

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The map shows my house in the wrong place

The map is provided as an approximate indication of where the address is located. It is not intended to be used as an accurate position locator.

What are the red lines on the map?

The red lines mark the boundaries of each postcode area. Use the (+) and (–) buttons to zoom in or out on the map to see more of the postcode boundaries.