Changes to our International Inbound Mail rates and services from 1 July 2021

01 June 2021

We’re proud to be New Zealand’s largest delivery partner and we’re committed to providing you with a sustainable, market-leading service now and for the future.

We know how important it is to move with the changing needs of the market, to support you with what you need, when you need it. We’re making significant investments into our people, technology, products and services. Many of which will directly benefit how we enable your business and streamline the way we work together.

Whilst we focus on keeping costs to a minimum and are always looking for innovative ways to provide our service more efficiently, we also have a responsibility to deliver a sustainable mail service for New Zealand. Therefore, we do need to review prices annually.

Any price or specification changes to other New Zealand Post services will be communicated separately. For more information or guidance on these upcoming changes, please don’t hesitate to contact your Business Manager.

See our questions and answers for more information.

Quick links to key information on this page:

International Standard Mail

We are increasing the price of International Standard Mail letter products. New prices will apply from 1 July 2021. The new prices are set out below and all prices are shown in NZD (excluding GST).

Size Standard Post FreePost
Medium – Approved (FreePost Only) - $1.2174
Medium $1.3043 $1.3043
Large $2.4348 $2.4348
Oversize $3.5652 $3.5652

International Bulk Mail

The following changes to our International Bulk Mail products will take effect on 1 July 2021:

  • New pricing will be introduced on all International Bulk Mail products
  • Zonal Pricing will be introduced for International PrintPost (see below for additional information about this)
  • Minimum lodgement volumes for International PrintPost will be reduced from 1,000 to 300
  • Zone A will be expanded to provide increased coverage within major towns and cities. 20 postcodes will move from Zones B, C & D to Zone A and one postcode will move from Zone A to Zone D.

Detailed information on changes to International Bulk Mail products, will be available in the International Commercial Postal User Guide from 1 July 2021.

The NZ Post Bulk Mail Zones list will updated prior to 1 July 2021.

In the interim, please refer to the relevant Bulk Mail product specifications below for more information.

International Bulk Mail specifications

International Bulk Mail Rate Card

New pricing will be introduced for all International Bulk Mail products. Please refer to the International Bulk Mail Rate Card for pricing. New prices will apply from 1 July 2021.

International Bulk Mail chart

There are no significant changes to the Bulk Mail Chart. There are some minor clarifications to the Bulk Mail Chart, which will be published prior to 1 July 2021.

Envelope Layout Standards

There are no significant changes to the Bulk Mail Envelope Layout Standards. There are some minor clarifications to the Domestic and International Inbound Bulk Mail Envelope Layout Standards, which will be published prior to 1 July 2021.

Zonal Pricing

Zonal Pricing has already been applied to International Adcard, International GoFlexible and International VolumePost. Zonal pricing will also be applied to International PrintPost from 1 July 2021.

Zonal Pricing is a pricing structure that charges different prices for mail deliveries to different areas.

Every New Zealand postcode containing delivery points has been allocated to one of four “Zones”; Zone A, Zone B, Zone C and Zone D. Each of these zones has a different price.

In addition to Zonal Pricing, a separate pricing tier applies to any items with incorrect or missing postcodes. This pricing tier is called IPC (Invalid Postcode). More information on Zonal Pricing and IPC terms and conditions will be available under the International Adcard, International GoFlexible and International VolumePost sections in the International Commercial Postal User Guide (www.nzpost.co.nz/icpug) from 1 July 2021. It will also be available under the International PrintPost section from 1 July 2021. In the interim, please refer to the Bulk Mail product specifications above for this information.

NZ Post Bulk Mail Zones

Bulk mail zones are defined by postcode. They are defined for the purpose of determining prices for bulk mail lodged as Adcard, GoFlexible, PrintPost and VolumePost. Those prices can be found in the Domestic Bulk Mail Rate Card on the NZ Post website.

The NZ Post Bulk Mail Zones list (below) provides details of the postcode zone and delivery type for all valid postcodes in NZ.

NZ Post Bulk Mail Zones (XLS - 76KB)

Note: There are 3 listed postcodes that have no zonal mapping as they have no physical mail delivery points, i.e. all mail sent to those postcodes should be addressed to the PO Box Lobby within the postcode. These are highlighted in yellow in the PDF.

If you wish to obtain a csv version of the Zonal Postcode list, please contact [email protected]

For more information on Bulk Mail Zonal Pricing, please refer to the International Commercial Postal User Guide (www.nzpost.co.nz/icpug) under International Adcard, International GoFlexible, International PrintPost and International VolumePost from 1 July 2021. In the interim, please refer to the Bulk Mail product specifications.

Zonal Pricing Rates

Zonal Pricing rates across International Adcard, International GoFlexible, International PrintPost and International VolumePost can be found on the International Bulk Mail Rate Card below.

International Bulk Mail Rate Card (PDF - 60KB).

Billing

Your statements will provide a breakdown of how many pieces of mail are sent to each zone for every lodgement and the associated price. For any billing enquiries, please contact your mailhouse or NZ Post Business Manager.

See our questions and answers for more information.

Parcels

From 1 July 2021, the price of the following products and services will increase:

  • International ParcelPost
  • International ParcelPost Flat
  • International CourierPost

Please note we are also in the process of updating our Returns Management services. Your Business Manager will be in touch with further information regarding these changes.

International ParcelPost Pricing

From 1 July 2021, International ParcelPost pricing will increase.

Postage is determined by actual or volumetric weight (as per our terms and conditions). You will be charged the greater of:

  • the actual weight of your item as determined by our scales (measured in 50 gram increments, rounded up to the next 50 grams); or 
  • the volumetric weight of your item (measured in 50 gram increments, rounded up to the next 50 grams).

To calculate volumetric weight (kg), measure the item’s height (m) x length (m) x thickness (m) and multiply this by 200*, e.g. (0.45m x 0.35m x 0.25m) x 200* = 7.875kg (rounded up to 7.9kg as the chargeable weight).

*or other volumetric multiplier as agreed.

International ParcelPost items will be invoiced at an item level. If you would prefer for your items to be consolidated, please speak with your business manager around options that may work for you. You will no longer need to list International ParcelPost items on your Lodgement Manager Statement of Posting.

If NZ Post is responsible for the end to end journey of your parcel, you will not be charged Goods & Services Tax (GST) on postage. If NZ Post receives your parcel after Customs clearance, the rate charged will include GST (currently 15%).

International ParcelPost Flat

From 1 July 2021, International ParcelPost Flat pricing will increase.

Items will be charged in 50-gram increments with a minimum chargeable weight of 100 grams. Your terms and conditions will be amended to reflect the ability to lodge using item/kilo rates. All terms and conditions can be found in the International Commercial Postal Users’ Guide available at nzpost.co.nz/icpug. This will be updated from 1 July 2021.

International CourierPost

From 1 July 2021, the price of International CourierPost will increase.

Returns Management Service

We are making some changes to our Returns Management Services so we can simplify how you are invoiced. This applies to all items returned to your PO Box/Private Bag.

We are replacing the current fees for each individual service you use with a new monthly Returns Management Fee per Virtual PO Box or Private Bag which will give you access to the following services:

  • Box clearance
  • Data capturing/ transmission requirements
  • Stripping
  • Destruction of items on your behalf
  • Donation of items to charity (Red Cross) on your behalf

The new Returns Management Fee consolidates these services into one monthly fee and covers administrative costs associated with managing your PO Box returns service. This means that you will now have one line-item on your invoice per month, giving you access to (and covering) all services listed above. While you will be charged the Returns Management Fee for each month that you use the returns management services, you will still receive a separate charge for any processing storage, dispatch and postage charges that apply.

There will no longer be set days or frequencies for clearance.  Instead, we will now clear your PO Box or Private Bag daily as parcels or letters are received into it.

Please note, we are introducing a change for inactive PO Boxes. Inactive PO Box or Private Bags will not receive a charge for the new Returns Management Fees (until unless items are received back into them during the relevant billing month).

If your PO Box or Private Bag is inactive for six months or more, we will contact you to confirm whether you still require it.

Your Business Manager will be in touch with further information about this change.