The Intricacies of Freepost (ongoing)

As I have definitely decided that I will be using a survey to capture information from whakapapa researchers (as opposed to organising focus groups or conducting interviews) this leads to certain questions about how to actually do that. Heidi Kuglin noted in her research project (see further reading) that she received the most responses to her questionnaire via the freepost address that she set up, so this seems the way to go.

As I've just been discovering via the NZ Post website there's a bit more to getting a freepost address than I thought.

• You can't get freepost mail delivered to a physical address. It's a P O box or nothing.
• You can get a P O box for 12 months, there doesn't seem to be a shorter option available which is a pain because 3 months would be more than enough.
• The cheapest option is over $100.

It would irk me to have to pay for something for a whole year that I only really need for a month or so but to put things in perspective some of my textbooks have been more expensive than that and I barely read some of those so...

I have spoken to a colleague who is also studying and will be doing a survey so it may be possible for us to "go halves" on a P O box together. I wonder if you can get 2 different freepost addresses for the same box? I think I will have to go to the post office and ask a few questions.

UPDATED

The good folks here at work (Christchurch City Libraries) have said that it is okay for me to use their P. O. Box so that I don't have to fork out $$$ for my own. I am extremely grateful.

So I've been in touch with New Zealand Post and I am now the proud "owner" of my own freepost address. Anyone sending mail to "Freepost Whakapapa" will now being doing so on my dime.