A NZ Post super depot is officially underway in Wellington following a ground-breaking ceremony this morning, part one of NZ Post’s 10-year plan for parcel growth.
This morning NZ Post announced it would be investing $170 million in its network to double its parcel-processing capacity from 95 million parcels to 190 million parcels.
The investment also includes a new processing centre in Wiri, Auckland, due to open in 2023, and an upgrade to the Southern Operations Centre in Christchurch in 2022.
When completed, the super depot in Grenada will have a 10440-square-metre processing floor - about the size of a rugby field.
David Walsh, NZ Post's chief executive, says the organisation forecasted significant growth in New Zealand's online shopping space, even before the boost in sales experienced during Covid-19.
"Last year online shopping in New Zealand grew 13 per cent with almost 50 per cent of adult New Zealanders now shopping online, and we are expecting this growth to continue. We’re pleased to be able to invest confidently in our future, to meet the growth in online shopping," says Mr Walsh.
The new super depot in Grenada will create around 350 jobs during its construction phase.
Shane Jones, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises, attended the ground-breaking and blessing ceremony for the Wellington depot this morning.
He says New Zealanders will be aware of the issues that surrounded the ability of NZ Post to deal with the huge surge in parcels being sent during Covid-19 lockdown.
Chief executive David Walsh says parcel volumes more than doubled, surpassing 3.5 million after Level 4 lockdown. (Source: Other)
“This new state of the art depot will provide NZ Post with the capacity to process parcels more quickly and efficiently,” Mr Jones said.
He says the NZ Post's $170 million is "good news" for New Zealand businesses who are looking to grow their e-commerce presence, and for the customers who use those services.
NZ Post recently received $150m from the Government’s Covid Response and Recovery Fund. The boost was aimed at ensuring its immediate viability as revenue fell due to Covid-19.
The Wellington super depot is set to open in 2022.
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