In an effort to cut costs nationwide, New Zealand Post has announced a new policy of confiscating any money contained in birthday cards sent between two individuals.
The policy, which is part of a wider series of cost-cutting measures being implemented by the service, is estimated to raise somewhere between $10 and $500,000, depending on the level of honesty amongst mail sorters.
As of July 8th, New Zealand Post workers will be encouraged to root through piles of mail – particularly any that looks it might contain a birthday card – and search for cash. They will then turn that cash over to their superiors and receive a cut in the form of commission at the end of each month.
Speaking to media about the decision, CEO Brian Roche said it was “really the only way” he could think of to cut costs, other than blackmailing customers with information found in their letters, something the company also plans to do.
“When processing mail, our staff are very aware of the money that is often contained in the messages they handle,” he said. “It can be very tempting not to open that mail, so sometimes we do. It hasn’t been official policy until now, though.”
Roche said the policy would drastically reduce the number of mailing errors, as they would no longer be errors, but intentional. He also rebuffed claims from critics that it would discourage people from sending money to friends and relatives, saying that not all letters would be raided en route to their intended destination.
“Obviously we can’t go through every letter,” said Roche. “So the public can be assured that we will miss some.”
If these measures fail to raise enough money to keep New Zealand Post out of debt, the company will consider attracting new customers by becoming the only postal service in the world to allow the mailing of anthrax.