Story: Ideas in New Zealand

Post offices – an endangered species

Post offices – an endangered species

This cartoon, in the form of a $1 stamp, shows the suburban post office under siege from a series of armaments. The cartoon referred to the expectation at that time that the Labour government, influenced by 'new right' ideas of the free market, would deregulate the postal system, with the loss of smaller rural and suburban offices. As expected, the State Owned Enterprises Act, passed in 1986, allowed for the corporatisation of some government activities. In 1987 the old Post Office was split up into New Zealand Post Limited, the Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and PostBank Limited.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: H-309-001
Cartoon by Eric Heath

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Jock Phillips, 'Ideas in New Zealand - The new right', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/cartoon/45509/post-offices-an-endangered-species (accessed 25 April 2024)

Story by Jock Phillips, published 22 Oct 2014