The next chapter in Ophir’s postal history has begun, with Harriet Cameron stepping into the role of postmistress.

The Galloway resident becomes the latest in a line of postal workers to serve at the town’s post office - New Zealand’s oldest continually operating one.

The 1886-built schist-stone building, maintained by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, has long been a hub for locals and a magnet for visitors - and Harriet is set to be part of its living history.

“My first official week at the post office has been simply awesome. I’ve met a handful of local identities and I’m starting to match names to faces,” she said.

“It’s a very homely building and I am enjoying discovering the history.”

She said mastering the pigeonhole mail system and unfamiliar local street addresses had been a learning curve, but it’s one she’s embraced, and she’s getting quicker at the job each day.

“It’s essential. The post office is the hub of communications,” she said.

“I love engaging with people, enjoying a smile and a banter.”

Harriet describes herself as “a country girl at heart”, with a career that has spanned policing in Invercargill, running a high-country station near St Bathans with her husband, and earlier work as a postmistress and travel agent at the Stewart Island Post Office and Flight Centre.

“I feel honoured, privileged and humbled to serve in this role, and being part of a continuous line of managers at the post office that stretches back well over a hundred years,” she said.

“I truly think I was born a century too late. I love the era the post office building represents - a time when communities were strong because each household had big families and farms employed many people, all things were made with care and made to last.” 

Harriet takes over from long-serving postmistress Val Butcher, who retired earlier this year after 26 years in the role.

Val became a familiar face to locals and a welcoming presence for visitors passing through, and once described the post office as “the heart of the community”.

The Ophir Post Office remains a Category 1 Historic Place and, according to Heritage New Zealand, is among the most photographed heritage buildings in the South Island.

Looking ahead, Harriet would like to see Ophir’s heritage continue to draw people in.

“Ophir is a sitting gold mine in terms of the local economy,” she said.

“It has much untapped potential which, carefully managed, will bring many visitors over the bridge. Through social media and targeted merchandise, and by creating more events in and around Ophir, the people will come.”

Read more: Ophir Post Office seeks new keeper as Val Butcher retires

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