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Story: Rural services

Collecting the mail

Image
Collecting the mail

A farmer collects mail and newspapers from his rural delivery box in the Ruapehu district, around 1940. The rural delivery service began in 1905, allowing farming families to send and receive mail through a special post box or bag at the farm gate. Often other goods such as groceries and animal feed were delivered with the post.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Making New Zealand Centennial Collection (PAColl-3060)

Reference: MNZ-2098-1/4-F

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

Nancy Swarbrick, Rural services – Communications, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/18561/collecting-the-mail (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 1 March 2009.