The workers who delivered NZ Post’s return to profit deserve to share in it, E tū says, after the state-owned enterprise reported a net profit of $17 million for the year to 30 June 2026.
The result is a $19 million turnaround from the previous year’s loss. Revenue rose to $1.27 billion, the company’s independently assessed enterprise value climbed to $808 million, and NZ Post delivered a total shareholder return of 14.6% while declaring a $12.5 million dividend to its owner, the Crown.
E tū, Aotearoa’s largest private sector union, says the numbers prove two things: that New Zealanders still rely on their postal service, and that a publicly owned NZ Post can deliver for the country as an essential service and as a profitable business. The union says the workers who made that happen should feel the benefit, and points out that some NZ Post workers are still paid less than the Living Wage.
NZ Post worker and E tū delegate Larissa Moriarty says the workforce takes pride in the service they provide.
“I’m proud of the work we do. Every day our people are out there getting parcels and letters where they need to go, to every part of the country, no matter the weather. This profit didn’t appear out of nowhere. It came from the workers who turn up and get the job done.
“We’re the ones who keep the service running that New Zealanders count on. It would mean a lot to feel like that work is properly valued, and that starts with paying people enough to live on.”
E tū Director Mat Danaher says the result is a reminder that NZ Post is a public asset worth protecting.
“NZ Post belongs to all of us. This result shows what public ownership can do, a service that reaches every community in the country and a business that still turns a profit and pays a dividend back to New Zealanders.
“That value was created by the workers who sort the mail, drive the vans and deliver to the door. When the company does well, they should do well too. It’s not right that people delivering a profitable, publicly owned service are being paid less than they need to live on.
“NZ Post has proven it can succeed. The real test is whether it looks after the people who made that success possible.”