New NZ Post vehicles roll out in the Hutt despite ongoing talks with union

Tuesday, 24 April 2018

NZ Post is introducing electric vehicles for their posties.

Posties in the Hutt Valley have taken delivery of New Zealand Post's new Paxster Delivery vehicles.

Already in use in parts of Porirua and the Kāpiti coast, 500 of the vehicles have been steadily rolled out since 2016.

Training on the buggies for Hutt posties began two weeks ago. The cheerful looking red and yellow vehicles are expected to be operational in May.

Hutt Vally posties are being trained to use the Paxster delivery vehicles. They are expected to be operational in May.

The introduction of the Norwegian designed Paxsters has not been without controversy. The Postal Workers Union of Aotearoa (PWUA) criticised the vehicles last year claiming drivers had suffered neck and shoulder strains from the unassisted steering, long shifts and heavy helmets that had to be worn.

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They also said the buggies were too wide for some footpaths.

An NZ Post spokeswoman said Paxsters would only be used in suitable areas after they had gained approval from local councils and transport authorities. Posties would be trained to stop or move off footpaths if they became too narrow or there were other footpath users around.

Concerns about brake lights on the road-legal Paxsters only engaging when the handbrake was activated had also been addressed. Improvements were also made to suspension systems, reversing cameras and helmets.

NZ Post was working closely with the postal workers' union and the E tū union to examine other concerns, she said.

PWUA Southern organiser John Maynard confirmed a working-group with NZ Post and union representation had been established. 'We're quite confident that we can work around any outstanding issues.'

Another issue raised by the union was an onboard microphone which they said amounted to a 'serious breach of the privacy' of posties operating the vehicles. NZ Post said last year it would switch off the audio recording while the issue was discussed.

'We are still waiting to hear from the company as to what it is planning to do about the audio recordings,' Maynard said.

NZ Post said the audio recording capability on the vehicles' forward facing cameras had been turned off and there was currently no intention to turn them back on.

The Paxsters - which will replace bicycles and mopeds - can carry up to 200 kilograms of mail, and can be driven on the road and footpath. They are battery powered with a range of 70 to 90 kilometres.

The spokeswoman said the Paxsters were an investment in NZ Post's future as it adapted to growing demand for parcel deliveries.