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Māori mail carrier, 1850s
Wi Hapi Pakau, seen here in old age, was the first mail carrier on the overland service between Wellington and Auckland in the 1850s. He and his fellow Māori messengers were regarded as highly reliable.
Supplied by New Zealand Post. All rights reserved.
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Postman, 1890s
By around 1890 post deliverers had a special uniform. This unidentified postman poses with a bundle of mail under one arm.
Supplied by New Zealand Post. All rights reserved.
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Letter carriers, 1903
Wellington ‘letter carriers’, including some young messenger boys, pose for the camera in 1903. Their uniform included a wide-brimmed hat for protection from the sun. The youngest were probably telegram deliverers, who carried printed copies of messages sent by telegraph to offices around the city.
Supplied by Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. All rights reserved.
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Postman delivering the mail, 1930
The occupant of 1A waits at her gate for a letter from the postman in the 1930s. Note the postman’s special shoulder bag for on-foot deliveries.
Supplied by Alexander Turnbull Library. All rights reserved.
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Lady postie, 1950
Cheerful Mrs Charteris, a Wellington postie for nine years, is shown on her retirement day in 1950.
Supplied by Alexander Turnbull Library. All rights reserved.
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Postie uniforms, 1981
There were dramatic changes of costume in 1981, when new uniforms were introduced to the Post Office. Some staff found the shorts and t-shirt too revealing and wore their own clothes underneath.
Supplied by Alexander Turnbull Library. All rights reserved.
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Postie with electric-powered buggy, 2017
In the 2010s New Zealand Post began delivering more parcels and less letters. To accommodate this it purchased 400 of these diminutive electric vehicles, called Paxsters. The vehicles travelled on footpaths in urban areas, and could carry up to 200kg of post.
Supplied by New Zealand Post. All rights reserved.
For over 150 years New Zealand’s postmen and postwomen have made sure the mail got through.
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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
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