NZPost / CourierPost
Just having a laugh or smirk .
For over 30 years , my small business had a P O Box . From memory , originally it was $60 a year . By the middle of last year , it had gone up to $200 a year . And guess what -- no-one sends mail any more , and even stranger -- courier companies don't deliver parcels to P O Boxes .
So the very , very few companies that still send out letters , and don't send that info by e-mail , I advised to post to my house . No problem . I advised NZPost too . Of course , they took the next year payment out of my account via Direct Debit , but to their credit , they did refund that -- took about 3 weeks and 4 phone calls , but that isn't bad for Almost Govt Depts .
But here's where it gets silly -- CourierPost drops off a couple of parcels or more , each week . So now they have to call to my house , and 90% of the daytime hours , I aren't here . Leave a card . So I go , with ID , and pick up the parcel . Yes , at the Post Box Centre on Anglesea Street . Yes , they store it there , and while it costs me a bit in petrol , my parcels are safe , and they have to run around ( both the courier ,then the mail centre staff ) and find it . All included in the price .
Sometimes the staff even ask me if I want my P O Box cleared while i am there -- as soon as I say I cancelled it , some say 'yeah , like a lot' .
So lets hope their Courier side is making money , and doesn't decide they will make more by putting their price up -- that seems to be their modus operandi -- income is dropping in specific areas , so lets put up prices by 50% to make more money -- then when sales drop by 60% , they'll put up prices another 70% ! They are probably still wondering why no-one sends mail any more . . . . . . . . . .
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Poll: Would you help your kids out with buying a home?
OPINION: Over the past year, I’ve had the same conversation with many Waikato families again and again.
A child has found a house. The market feels like it’s moving. There’s pressure to act quickly. And before anyone has really had time to think it through, parents are being asked to step in with cash, guarantees, or equity from their own home.
Would you help your kids out with buying a home? Tell us more in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).
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0% I already have.
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100% Yes.
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0% No
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