New Zealand postal addresses follow the same format as much of the English-speaking world. There are four kinds of address depending on the mode of delivery:
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New Zealand Post is unique in that while it has a post code system, this is 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, post codes are not usually seen in New Zealand addresses:
New Zealand Post Private Bag 39 990 WELLINGTON
Individual items of mail need not include the post code in the address, as Optical Character Recognition (OCR) enables automated sorting machines to scan entire addresses, rather than just post codes, as is the case with older machines.
Until the early 1990s, all mail was sorted manually and the only post codes in use were postal zone numbers used in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. (A similar system is still used for Dublin postal districts in the Republic of Ireland.) These are no longer used, although they have been incorporated into the post code system for use in bulk mailings. For example, for the former Wellington 4:
Flat 2 173 Park Road Johnsonville WELLINGTON 6004
In the cities and large towns, the last two digits indicate the mode of delivery, as illustrated by addresses in Palmerston North:
Street address:
43 Vogel Street PALMERSTON NORTH 5301
PO Box address:
PO Box 4000 PALMERSTON NORTH 5315
Private Bag address
Private Bag 11-222 PALMERSTON NORTH 5320
Rural Delivery address
Railway Road R D 10 PALMERSTON NORTH 5321
Generally, each PO Box or Private Bag number range has its own post code, although there are often cases in which a post code may be used for several number ranges in the same city, for example, in South Auckland:
PO Box 51 000 PAKURANGA 1730
Private Bag 76-912 MANUKAU CITY 1730
PO Box 38 234 HOWICK 1730
NB: New Zealand Post recommends that a space is inserted between the letters 'P' and 'O' in 'PO Box' or 'R' and 'D' in 'RD'.
New Zealand Post recognises Maori names for cities and towns in New Zealand, for example, the Maori Language Commission's address is:
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Poutāpeta 411 TE WHANGANUI A TARA
In English, this translates as:
Māori Language Commission PO Box 411 WELLINGTON
In spite of the considerable difference between the two languages, there is no need to add the post code, which in this case would be 6015.
Mail to the New Zealand Parliament is delivered free of charge:
Rt Hon. Helen Clark MP Parliament Buildings WELLINGTON
Other freepost mail includes a unique number as well as the PO Box or Private Bag number:
CARM Freepost No. 112002 PO Box 913 DUNEDIN