Postcodes in New Zealand
Postcodes in New Zealand consist of four digits, the first two of which specify the area, the third the type of delivery, and the last the specific lobby, RD number, or suburb. The present postcode system was introduced in New Zealand in June 2006, which, unlike the previous system, applies to all items of mail with effect from June 2008. In October 2008, New Zealand Post launched a 'remember your postcode' campaign, offering a $10,000 prize for remembering a postcode.
This replaced a previous system, introduced in 1977, in which New Zealand Post did not require individual items of mail to include the postcode in the address. Optical character recognition enabled automated sorting machines to scan entire addresses, rather than just postcodes, as was the case with older machines. This was very similar to the case in Ireland. OCR technology was introduced in 1992; when the first of seven OCR machines were installed in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch Mail Centres, most mail was sorted manually.
Allocation
There are 1,856 postcodes, each of which may serve up to 10,000 individual locations. Postcodes are generally allocated north to south.- 00 – unused01 – Whangarei, Marsden Point, Ngunguru02 – Kawakawa, Kerikeri, Moerewa, Paihia, Russell03 – Dargaville04 – Kaikohe, Kaitaia05 – Mangawhai, Waipu06 – North Shore, West Auckland ; West Auckland ; south-western Central Auckland07 – North Shore, West Auckland ; North Shore 08 – Helensville, Kumeu09 – Hibiscus Coast, Warkworth, Wellsford, Snells Beach; Great Barrier Island10 – Central Auckland, Waiheke Island, Rakino Island11 – Central Auckland 12 – Central Auckland 13 – Central Auckland 14 – Central Auckland 15 – Central Auckland 16 – Central Auckland 17 – Central Auckland 18 – Waiheke Island 19 – Waiheke Island 20 – South Auckland 21 – South Auckland, Pukekohe, Tuakau, Waiuku ; South Auckland 22 – South Auckland 23 – Pukekohe, Tuakau, Waiuku 24 – Pokeno, Mercer, Mangatawhiri25 – South Auckland 26 – Pukekohe, Tuakau, Waiuku
- 27 – unused
- 28 – unused
- 29 – unused30 – Rotorua, Murupara31 – Tauranga, Whakatane, Edgecumbe, Katikati, Kawerau, Opotiki, Te Puke, Matakana Island32 – Hamilton, Raglan33 – Taupo, Morrinsville, Te Aroha, Turangi34 – Cambridge, Tokoroa, Mangakino, Matamata, Putaruru35 – Coromandel, Ngatea, Tairua, Thames, Whitianga36 – Paeroa, Waihi, Waihi Beach, Whangamata37 – Huntly, Ngāruawāhia, Te Kauwhata38 – Te Awamutu39 – Otorohanga, Taumarunui, Te Kuiti40 – Gisborne, Ruatoria41 – Hastings, Napier, Wairoa42 – Waipawa, Waipukurau43 – New Plymouth, Eltham, Inglewood, Stratford, Waitara44 – Palmerston North45 – Whanganui, Patea46 – Hawera, Ohakune, Opunake, Raetihi47 – Feilding, Marton, Taihape48 – Ashhurst, Bulls, Foxton, Shannon, Waiouru49 – Dannevirke, Pahiatua, Woodville50 – Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Kapiti, Porirua, Tawa ; Lower Hutt.51 – Upper Hutt 52 – Kapiti, Porirua 53 – Kapiti, Lower Hutt, Porirua, Upper Hutt
- 54 – unused55 – Levin, Ōtaki
- 56 – unused57 – Carterton, Featherston, Greytown, Martinborough58 – Masterton
- 59 – unused60 – Wellington 61 – Wellington 62 – Wellington
- 63 – unused64 – Wellington
- 65 – unused
- 66 – unused
- 67 – unused
- 68 – unused69 – Wellington 70 – Nelson, Richmond, Brightwater, Mapua, Wakefield71 – Motueka, Takaka72 – Blenheim, Picton73 – Cheviot, Kaikoura, Hanmer Springs74 – Rangiora, Amberley, Oxford75 – Akaroa, Darfield76 – Kaiapoi, Leeston, Lincoln, Prebbleton, Rolleston77 – Ashburton, Methven, Rakaia78 – Greymouth, Hokitika, Reefton, Westport79 – Timaru, Geraldine, Temuka, Twizel, Waimate80 – Christchurch ; Chatham Islands81 – Christchurch 82 – Christchurch
- 83 – unused84 – Christchurch 85 – Christchurch 86 – Christchurch
- 87 – unused88 – Christchurch 89 – Christchurch 90 – Dunedin, Mosgiel, Port Chalmers
- 91 – unused92 – Balclutha, Milton93 – Queenstown, Alexandra, Arrowtown, Cromwell, Ranfurly, Wanaka94 – Oamaru, Palmerston95 – Clinton, Lawrence, Roxburgh, Tapanui96 – Nightcaps, Ohai, Otautau, Tuatapere; Fiordland, Te Anau97 – Gore, Lumsden, Mataura, Winton98 – Invercargill, Bluff, Edendale, Riverton, Wyndham; Stewart Island
- 99 – ''unused''
Examples
In cities and large towns, the last two digits indicate one of the four modes of delivery, as illustrated by addresses in Palmerston North:- Street address, in which mail is delivered directly to homes by the 'postie';
- PO Box address, in which mail is delivered to a private box, usually at a Post Shop, for collection;
- Private Bag, in which a private mail bag is delivered to an organisation such as a large company or a government department
- Rural Delivery, used in rural areas for home deliveries.
Previous system
Although postcodes were first introduced in New Zealand in 1977, these were used entirely for pre-sorting large volumes of mail in bulk, similar to the Mailsort system used by Royal Mail in the United Kingdom. Consequently, postcodes were not usually seen in addresses:Under the old system, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch were divided into postal zones, which were incorporated into the postcode system for use in bulk mailings. For example, for the former Wellington 4:
In cities and large towns, the last two digits indicated the mode of delivery, as illustrated by addresses in Palmerston North:
Street address:
Post Office Box address:
Private Bag address
Rural Delivery address
NB: Prior to the changeover, New Zealand Post also required that a space be inserted between the letters 'P' and 'O' in 'PO Box' or 'R' and 'D' in 'RD'.
Māori names
New Zealand Post recognises Māori names for cities and towns in New Zealand; for example, the Māori Language Commission's address is:In English, this translates as:
In spite of the considerable difference between the two languages, there was no need to add the postcode under the old system, which in this case would have been 6015.
Freepost
Mail to members of the New Zealand Parliament is delivered free of charge for individuals. The cost is deducted from the Member's budget.Other Freepost mail includes a unique number as well as the PO Box or Private Bag number: