NZ Post has one of the most complex transport operations in Aotearoa, moving mail and parcels into almost every community in the country. On the road, NZ Post’s increasingly electrified internal fleet, used by employees for keeping an eye on what’s happening nationwide, is supported by ChargeNet’s public charging network.
Heading?
For NZ Post, electrification is not a side project. It is central to how the organisation wants to operate in future. As Category Manager of Transport and Fleet, Lauren Baththana oversees a diverse portfolio of vehicles and says the shift to electric is driven primarily by long-term sustainability goals, with operational and cost benefits following close behind.
“We have a really broad fleet footprint, across both North Island and South Island, big depots and tiny sites,” she explains. “If New Zealand Post can electrify across that kind of footprint, it shows what’s possible for a lot of other organisations too.”
NZ Post’s internal fleet covers approximately 100 cars, and 60 with more than 70% of this fleet now electrified.
Heading?
On the road, the core light fleet operated by NZ Post consists of cars and vans used by staff across the country, with the vast majority now battery electric or plug-in hybrid. This fleet runs separately to the owner-operator fleet owned by Delivery Partners, who manage their own electrification. At the same time, NZ Post’s distinctive red-and-yellow Paxsters – the small vehicles used for mail and parcel delivery in many suburbs – are fully electric. The organisation also operates e-bikes and is progressively electrifying other equipment in depots, such as ride-ons, walk-behinds, and many forklifts.
Electrifying these assets has required careful planning around infrastructure and property constraints, especially in older or more remote depots. “It’s not just about buying an electric forklift or vehicle,” Lauren says.
“You also have to make sure the building can support the charging – the wiring, the capacity, the number of sockets. In some places we’re working with older sites, so that adds complexity.”
Despite those challenges, the direction of travel is clear.
“Sustainability has been the big driver for NZ Post,” she says. “In some vehicle categories we already know the total cost of ownership for electric is better, but even where it’s more expensive upfront, we’ve accepted that this is the direction we need to go.”
For most day-to-day operations, NZ Post relies on depot charging. Cars and vans plug in at company sites, supported by a mix of slow and faster chargers depending on the electrical capacity and future plans for each location. But for longer trips, rural routes and staff who cover large regions, public charging is essential – and that is where ChargeNet comes in.
“ChargeNet is our public charging supplier when we’re on the road,” Lauren says. “Staff use ChargeNet RFID fobs linked to our fleet account, and all the billing is handled through our fleet management providers.”
The choice to work with ChargeNet came down to its nationwide coverage and practicality. “From an internal fleet perspective, ChargeNet’s coverage works well for how our vehicles operate today,” she says.
Ease of use elevates ChargeNet’s on-the-road experience
From a driver’s perspective, ChargeNet is now a part of how their work gets done. Lauren herself drove a battery electric work car before moving into her current role, which gave her first-hand experience of using the network around the country.
“I was a bit hesitant when I first got an EV. I didn’t know how charging would work, especially in Christchurch, where I’m based,” she says.
“But I was able to drive to places like Invercargill and Te Anau without issues. It was just a change of behaviour – planning my stops and using charging time for something useful.”
She says the locations of many ChargeNet stations make that behavioural shift easier. “A charger at a supermarket is brilliant. I’d pull in, plug in, do my shopping for 20 minutes and come back to a car that had more range. It becomes part of your life – two jobs done in one.”
The simplicity of charging on ChargeNet is another advantage. Drivers use a RFID fob, plug in, tap to start and can then step away while the vehicle charges. “It’s actually just really easy,” Lauren says. “From a fleet perspective, we hear far more complaints about fuel cards – lost PINs, replacement cards – than we ever do about ChargeNet RFID fobs.”
That does not mean the experience is perfect. Like many EV users, NZ Post drivers occasionally encounter busy or out-of-service chargers, especially at smaller or older sites. “The biggest pain points we hear about are charging speed at some locations, chargers being occupied, or the odd fault,” Lauren notes.
“That can slow down the cultural shift, because people remember the bad experiences. But overall, the network works well for our internal fleet, and when it works – which is almost all of the time – it just fades into the background as something that does its job. It’s also something I know ChargeNet is aware of, and it’s something they’re working on as they bulk up their charging capacity, and the number of charging points available at their existing locations.”
Getting staff across the line
For NZ Post, one of the biggest challenges has not been the technology but the people. Getting drivers comfortable with EVs, especially in regions with long distances and variable weather, takes time and support.
“The hardest part in any corporate fleet is the cultural shift,” Lauren says. “People are used to jumping in an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle and knowing where petrol stations are. EVs require a different mindset: planning your route, knowing where you’ll stop, understanding how range changes in winter or over hills.”
She has seen that mindset change firsthand. “One of my favourite examples is a driver in Dunedin who absolutely did not want an EV at the start. He’s a car person, very sceptical. Now he loves it and is one of our strongest advocates, simply because he’s experienced how it drives.”
For Lauren personally, the turning point was similar. “What converted me was how nice the car was to drive,” she says. “The acceleration, the smoothness, overtaking – it was just a better driving experience than any ICE car I’d had. Once I got used to integrating charging into my life, I didn’t want to go back.”
ChargeNet’s role in that cultural shift is practical rather than promotional: it provides the reliable, everyday infrastructure that makes EV use feel normal. “If staff can find a charger where they need it, tap their fob, walk away and come back to a charged car, that’s a big part of building confidence,” she says.
Looking ahead, Lauren believes NZ Post’s experience offers useful lessons for other organisations considering fleet electrification – and underlines the importance of public charging networks like ChargeNet.
“ChargeNet is in a strong position in the market today in terms of coverage,” she says. “But continued investment will be important – more locations, more chargers at each site, and faster speeds where it makes sense. That’s what will make them useful for fleets like ours.”
For businesses, her main advice is to think beyond vehicle purchase decisions. Policies, business rules, depot infrastructure and staff education all matter just as much.
“You need your senior leaders on board, clear policies that actually mention EVs and charging, and practical guidance for staff,” she says. “And you need partners: fleet managers, property teams and charging providers, who can help you join all the dots.”
For NZ Post, ChargeNet is one of those partners supporting its internal fleet, enabling thousands of electric kilometres to be driven every month across a national network. Together with depot charging and an increasingly electric fleet, it is helping one of New Zealand’s oldest organisations deliver the future of transportation.
One RFID. Two networks.
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