We need to consider the social impact of the NZ Post store closures on older Kiwis.

A few days ago, NZ Post announced that it will be closing the mail services at 142 locations around the country. This comes not long after they reduced the number of times mail would be delivered each week. Evidently, Kiwis aren’t using the postal services like they used to.

These changes are happening following an update to the Deed of Understanding between NZ Post and the Government, which has until now remained unchanged since the 1980s. Yes, this Deed of Understanding is well overdue an update, but are we headed in the right direction?

The short answer is, probably not. Older people seem to have been forgotten – or maybe simply considered not worthy of taking into account – yet again.

In a 1News article, NZ Post General Manager Consumer Sarah Sandoval is quoted as saying “The retail network needs to be rebalanced to better suit the way customers use our products and services today and into the future”. Wholeheartedly, yes, that is the right attitude to have. NZ Post does need to suit the way customers use their services today and into the future.

It’s important, however, not to devalue how people used NZ Post historically, especially since many older Kiwis are likely still using it the way people did ‘in the past’. What about the day-to-day social interactions visiting a post office can bring, and the sense of community they can bring to a place? Did you know that in the UK, the Post Office is ranked as having the most positive impact in the community by the Association of Convenience Stores?

So, when coming to the decision to proceed with closures, what was measured? If it was on the volume of parcels sent, or the distance someone needed to travel to the nearest service, something key has been missed.

Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency. Were the social impacts looked at? Like the increases in isolation and loneliness that will be felt by those who can no longer use the postal service as they once used to.

Yes, “90% of Kiwis living in urban areas will still be within 4km of an NZ Post store.” That sort of distance won’t make much of a difference to people who own a car, who pop into the post office on their way to work, or when dropping the kids off to school. It will only be a minor inconvenience to people who bike everywhere, or rely on public transport – if there’s a good bus route to their nearest post office.

But 4km will make a huge difference to those who cannot drive, and cannot bike. For older people, and others who may struggle with mobility, a 500 metre walk there and back might have been manageable. Over 4km will make it nigh impossible.

Why do we measure the success of a service by efficiency, and not its ability to provide a lifeline to those who need it most? Yes, lifeline may sound extreme, but a lifeline it is.

Digital exclusion is prevalent. A press release from Age Concern stated the following: “Statistics show that 25% of New Zealanders aged 65+ do not have access to the internet; increasing to over 35% of people aged 75+. Among the fastest growing older age group, 85+, statistics tell us that 79% lack essential digital skill or may struggle with the costs of connection and smart devices.”

Clearly, many older people are not digitally literate. Whether this is out of choice or lack of accessibility or educational opportunities does not matter. Whatever the reason, postal services are the only way they can send medical, banking, or other important documents. It could be the only way they keep in regular touch with family or friends living far away. The only way they can keep chatting to their pen-pal of fifty years.

Why would you want to make these sorts of community connections harder for people to maintain? Loneliness is already so common among older people, why would we make decisions that make this worse? Trying to improve social outcomes should be enough by itself to influence decision making – people are more important than efficiency, or money – but if costs are what matters, then so be it, please read on.

Did you know that loneliness actually reduces your lifespan? Previous research has likened the effects of severe loneliness to those of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It is linked to increased risk of health problems such as heart disease, dementia, stroke and depression.

We’re a capitalist society here in NZ. Of course decisions are going to be driven by cost efficiency, often with suboptimal social outcomes. But dig a little deeper, and you might find that in the long term, the optimal social outcome is the best outcome for cost too.

If we work towards reducing loneliness among older adults, how much are we going to save through the decrease in hospital visits and ambulance call outs that are needed, simply because people are feeling more socially connected?

If we look at the social benefits NZ Post affords older people, and how much can be saved in costs from the knock-on effects of loneliness and isolation, it might be that we’d be looking at a very different service to the way things are currently headed.

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