POST Fiji is responsible for the collection, processing and delivery of letters, parcels and urgent documents to some 69,000 plus letter boxes and some 15,000 residential addresses in Fiji in which the core activities are message communication in letters and distributing courier and parcel items.
The Post and Telecommunications Decree 1989 gives Post Fiji the sole authority to convey letters from one place to another, and to perform all the incidental services of accepting, receiving, collecting and delivering letters.
More than 148 years and three major restructuring later, the company prides itself on its multitude of world-class products and services.
Post Fiji history
Before the first postage stamps in Fiji, mail was carried by trading vessels to Sydney, Australia, and other ports where it was placed in mails.
The first stamps of Fiji were issued on November 1, 1870, by The Fiji Times.
The British Consul had objected to the service and tried to close it in 1871 and appointed an official Postmaster.
The Fiji Times service was then closed in 1872, a year after the first Postal Act was passed by the Legislative Assembly of the Fiji Government.
This had officially established the setting up of a Postal Department in Fiji, a General Post Office.
Postmasters were required to operate post offices around Fiji which prompted the preparation of the Cakobau Postal Act to guide those who were to play a pioneering role in the operation and development of postal services in Fiji.
However, it wasn’t until 1989 when Fiji’s postal operations were a division of a government department called the Department of Posts and Telecommunications.
The department became corporatised in 1990 till June 30, 1996. Fiji Posts and Telecommunication were re-structured three times.
On June 30, 1996, the inevitable separation of Post and Telecommunications was formalised.
There were two new entities that rose from its stead – Post Fiji Ltd and Telecom Fiji Ltd.
Post Fiji Ltd commenced as an entity from July 1, 1996, and is incorporated and registered under the Companies Act as a private company with the shareholding wholly owned by the Government of Fiji.
Nominated by the Government, a board of directors is currently leading the company.
World Post Day
Every year on October 9, postal services around the world gather for a celebration to commemorate World Post Day, a day of recognising the contributions of postal services towards local and international economies.
This year, Post Fiji CEO Isaac Mow said they’ve run with a different theme to show how postal services have evolved over the years.
This year, Post Fiji managers right up to the CEO were assigned areas of responsibility in terms of operations.
“We went out and got our hands dirty and did all the work that our ground staff do,” Mr Mow said.
“For the managers that go out for operational work, we also have internal competitions based on the theme, so the ones who are in the office get to decorate their office space.
“This year has been amazing so far, so it’s really good to see the workers celebrate on a day that their services are being commemorated.”
Post Fiji evolution
Technology has brought about a lot of competition in every industry, and it has cannibalised Fiji’s postal business.
“Nobody writes letters anymore,” Mr Mow said.
“The only letter mail that comes through the post now are the utility bills.
“There has also been a shift in the workload, so technology has brought about the good and the bad for business.
“When technology came in, our letter business went down, but our parcel post business has grown by 40 per cent.
“The reason for growth is because of online trading. E-commerce has evolved and now more customers are trading online, buying online rather than going to physical shops.
“That has changed the dynamics of our business, and so our focus now is going towards our parcel services rather than the letter market.”
Diversification of Post Fiji
To maintain operations, Post Fiji has implemented diversification strategies for sustainability.
“For us at Post Fiji, we have retail services now, which is the Post Shop,” Mr Mow said.
“We are into stationery and groceries in rural areas, we provide financial services on behalf of BSP, and we have domestic money orders and agents for Western Union for international money orders.
“In terms of our postal operations, we also diversified into a sector called Smartmail where we provide end-to-end services for corporates from printing of bills right up to the delivery of bills.
“While we are looking for other ways to diversify, we are also providing bill services, so right now, we are agents for more than 36 organisations, both businesses and government services.
“We also make payments on behalf of some of the service providers like Social Welfare.
“We’ve also introduced Agro-post, a new business which is an extension of our retail services.
“We are now selling agricultural products, and our main targets are the rural communities so basically the farmers, to help them change from subsistence farming to commercial farming.”
Post Fiji staff members Sweta Chan (left) and Joyce Latchmi at the HR corner during World Post Day in Suva. Picture: ELIKI NUKUTABU
Monisha Singh celebrate World Post Day at the Post Fiji office in Suva, on Wed 09 Oct 2024. Picture: ELIKI NUKUTABU
Ashneel Kumar (second from left) briefs Post Fiji CEO Isaac Mow and board chairman Isireli Leweniqila during World Post day in Suva, on October 9. Picture: ELIKI NUKUTABU
Staff of Post Fiji queue up to eat during World Post Day in Suva, on October 9, 2024. Picture: ELIKI NUKUTABU
Post Fiji staff are all smiles during World Post Day in Suva, on Wed 09 Oct 2024. Picture: ELIKI NUKUTABU
