Find out more about the deregulation of the New Zealand postal market.
The most significant regulatory responsibility for New Zealand Post came into force on 1 April 1998 with the enactment of the Postal Services Act 1998
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The Act deregulated the New Zealand postal market by removing New Zealand Post's monopoly on delivery of the standard letter.
Under the Act, anyone can process and deliver mail, at any cost, as long as they registered as a postal operator with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment . There are currently over 25 individual postal operators, including New Zealand Post, registered on the Ministry's register of postal operators.
The Act requires every postal operator to identify the mail they carry by marking items with a 'postal identifier' – a stamp, marking or impression that is unique to each operator and clearly represents to the public which operator has carried the item.