Mail Delivery Contractor

Tasks & duties

Mail delivery contractors may do some or all of the following:

• sort mail according to names and addresses
• deliver mail and goods such as newspapers and medicine
• pick up any outgoing mail
• record the delivery of registered mail
• follow a set route and timetable
• deliver courier packages and advertising material
• sell and deliver goods from local stores

Skills & knowledge

Mail delivery contractors need to have:

• knowledge of the roads, mailboxes and names on their delivery route
• knowledge of the costs of postal services
• excellent driving skills
• a good understanding of English
• customer service skills
• good planning and organisational ability
• business management skills

Because mail delivery contractors are self-employed, they also need to know about basic accounting and taxation requirements for small businesses.

Entry requirements

To become a mail delivery contractor you need to have a driver's licence and a general goods service licence. You also need to own your own vehicle, preferably a van, station wagon or utility, which is less than five years old or has travelled less than 200,000km.

Further information on driver licensing is available from Land Transport New Zealand.

Secondary education

There are no specific educational requirements for this job.

Training on the job

Mail delivery contractors gain their skills on the job. The mail delivery contractor that they are replacing trains them.

Useful experience

Useful experience for mail delivery contractors includes work as a postie or mail sorter, courier, taxi driver and any other driving work. A defensive driving course is also useful.

For more information, please refer to Career Services.