Both shops are expected to stop operating in mid-May.<\/p>\n
The move follows an update to the Deed of Understanding between NZ Post and the Government, resetting minimum store requirements for the first time in about 40 years.<\/p>\n
NZ Post says 142 partner stores will lose services in 2026, while the remaining network of 567 outlets will reflect a shift away from letters toward parcel-based services.<\/p>\n
NZ Post general manager of consumer services Sarah Sandoval said the changes would make the network \u201cmore sustainable and commercially responsible\u201d, adding that 90% of New Zealanders in urban areas would remain within 4km of a post shop.<\/p>\n
But there are concerns that will not be the case for many Western Heights residents, who will need to travel further to the remaining outlet at the Westend Dairy on Malfroy Rd.<\/p>\n
Western Heights Four Square owner Vinesh Kumar said the closure would have a significant impact on the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to affect a lot of our customers, and some people will have to travel much further into town or even Ngongotah\u0101, which is a long way for some customers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Kumar said the store would have preferred to keep the post shop open, but accepted that the decision was out of its control.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been here for almost 20 years,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got quite a few regulars who rely on this place, and they\u2019ll be pretty disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n
He expected a slight drop in sales but could not estimate how much.<\/p>\n
Springfield Superette owner Raj Kumar said he first became aware a change might be coming about a year ago.<\/p>\n
![\"Springfield](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/springfield-superette-owner-raj-kumar-OOM3EWPZBJCCZER4OYTVPERWSA.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Springfield Superette owner Raj Kumar. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting)<\/p>\n
\u201cI was disappointed, but they\u2019ve got the blessing of the Government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe unions can fight, but, at the end of the day, we\u2019re helpless, and now there\u2019ll probably only be two or three post shops left in Rotorua. It\u2019s a real shame.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kumar expects an initial drop of about 10% in revenue but is trying to remain pragmatic.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople will have to get proactive and move to booking couriers when they want,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said older customers were likely to be most affected.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy for millennials and younger generations, but older people will really struggle,\u201d Kumar said.<\/p>\n
Suburban shops were accessible, familiar and able to go \u201cthe extra mile\u201d for customers who came not just for goods, but for service.<\/p>\n
He sympathised with older people who rely on being able to send parcels and cards.<\/p>\n
Grey Power Rotorua president Michelle Nahu said the closures were another example of essential services being lost to older residents.<\/p>\n
![\"Grey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/grey-power-rotorua-president-michelle-nahu-R6HOWMUIAVFLRM3TDAT3PBZ3GM.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Grey Power Rotorua president Michelle Nahu. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will affect our members, as a lot of them still rely on the post shop,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s old school, but people trust their local post office and the people behind the counter.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said disability, transport access and unfamiliar technology would turn what was once a simple errand, paying bills, posting a birthday card or sending a parcel, into a \u201cbig challenge\u201d for many.<\/p>\n
Grey Power plans to hold forums to help members adapt to the changes, Nahu said.<\/p>\n
Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell said she understood \u201ctimes are changing\u201d and that organisations have a need to consider costs and their priorities moving forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this will be sad news to locals that still value easy access to post offices in their neighbourhood as this has been a valuable service to our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rotorua Lakes councillor Robert Lee, speaking as a Springfield resident, said while the post shop had long been part of the community, residents would need to adjust.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a minor inconvenience, but it\u2019s not insurmountable,\u201d he said. \u201cWe live in changing times, and there\u2019s little or nothing we can do about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rotorua will continue to have NZ Post services at the Westend Dairy on Malfroy St, Paper Plus at Central Mall, Te Ngae Four Square, and Ngongotah\u0101 Books, Lotto and PostShop.<\/p>\n
Rural outlets in Mourea, Rotoiti, Reporoa and Kaingaroa are unaffected.<\/p>\n
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n
The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including the New Zealander named in the Epstein files, Iran\u2019s warning to the US, and a strip club brawl ended by friendly fire. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NZ Post\u2019s decision to close two Rotorua post shops is expected to heavily impact older residents, local business…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263385,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,1756,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-263384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-tauranga-bay-of-plenty","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}