1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: It looks like New Zealand Posts might finally pull a 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,400 Speaker 1: trigger that they haven't pulled yet, and they are now 3 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: talking about actually stopping the delivery of mail to some 4 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:09,960 Speaker 1: letter boxes. Now this you might get, hold on, Have 5 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,040 Speaker 1: I heard this before? You kind of have heard this before, 6 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,159 Speaker 1: but not really, because up to now, the proposal has been, 7 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 1: as far as I can see, mostly to deliver, not 8 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: to stop delivering to new houses. What they're now talking 9 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 1: about is actually not delivering to houses that already get 10 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: the letters. Right, so you already have a house, you 11 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: already have a letter box. Your letter box has been 12 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 1: getting letters for years. But now they're saying we're going 13 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: to stop doing that and instead, somewhere down the road 14 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,159 Speaker 1: or somewhere in town have a cluster of boxes like 15 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:35,839 Speaker 1: a post office where you basically have to go get 16 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,599 Speaker 1: your mail. And according to the plan, if they get 17 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: their way, what they would do is they would cut 18 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,480 Speaker 1: five percent of letter boxes every single year. So presumably 19 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: within twenty years you get to one hundred percent and 20 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,520 Speaker 1: no one's getting any more mail anymore. Now I'm surprised 21 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,319 Speaker 1: by this, And when I say surprised, unpleasantly surprised. I'm 22 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: surprised New Zealand Post is prepared to be this bold, because, 23 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: let's be honest about it, We're gonna have to do 24 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 1: this at some point, aren't we. I mean, letters are 25 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: a luxury. They cost us as a country a lot 26 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: of money. And this is what I think we fail 27 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:05,479 Speaker 1: to understand a lot of the time. Getting the guy 28 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 1: around to drop your blinking I don't know whatever. Direct 29 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: mail from the taxpayer's union off to you is not free. 30 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: The New Zealand Post lost fourteen million dollars in the 31 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: last financial year. It lost fifty six million dollars in 32 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: the year before. That's money that we as a taxpayer 33 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: are basically losing. Now, most things you get you get 34 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 1: in the letter. You can actually get an email. Now, 35 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 1: you can get your power bill, your water bill, your 36 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: rates bill, whatever. Some things still have to come in 37 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: the mail. I give you that your credit card, maybe 38 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: that little thing that you put in that tails you've 39 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: got an existing warrant, fitness or regil, whatever it is. 40 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,199 Speaker 1: But actually you can even get that stuff in Korea 41 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: instead of on the letters. I'm not sure that there's 42 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: anything that you have to get via a letter that 43 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: you can't get in some other form. Now, I'm not 44 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: heartless about this, right, I get that there are some 45 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 1: communities that are going to be hit harder than others 46 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: when eventually we get to the point where they are 47 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: actually pulling the letter letters out of our letter boxes, 48 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: the elderly, rural communities and so on. But frankly, it's 49 00:01:56,880 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: going to be a shlip for all of us. So 50 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: they have to go down to wherever and get the 51 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: letter out of the old cluster box in town. So 52 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: we're all going to be in this together. But here's 53 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: the thing, right, the writing's been on the wall for ages. 54 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: The trend in letters is only going one way, and 55 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: that's downhill. And it's not a surprise it's coming to this. 56 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: It's just a pleasant surprise that New Zealand Post has 57 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: actually got the courage to start doing this and talking 58 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 1: about it right now. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, 59 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: listen live to news talks it'd be from six am weekdays, 60 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.