Comments on: New Zealand Postcode Database http://www.noodles.net.nz/2006/08/09/nz-postcode-database/ There is no spoon Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:46:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: gerard http://www.noodles.net.nz/2006/08/09/nz-postcode-database/#comment-36351 gerard Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:25:41 +0000 http://www.noodles.net.nz/?p=3#comment-36351 Our company, hscr, is a survey research company which specialises in surveying hospital and GP patients about the quality of care they have recently received. Each fortnight we send out 500+ letters to Auckland patients and in addition when we have special projects we may need to send thousands of questionnaires to people all over NZ. The new postcode system is great except that even when we have an Excel file of all the postcodes (Thanks a million noodles!!! I am happy to pay a small contribution to your efforts!) we still need a macro that looks at the columns of addresses that we have and assigns the correct postcode - of course our addresses have all kinds of different formats and abbreviations ("ave","rd", etc.) Is there such a macro available somewhere? Our company, hscr, is a survey research company which specialises in surveying hospital and GP patients about the quality of care they have recently received. Each fortnight we send out 500+ letters to Auckland patients and in addition when we have special projects we may need to send thousands of questionnaires to people all over NZ.
The new postcode system is great except that even when we have an Excel file of all the postcodes (Thanks a million noodles!!! I am happy to pay a small contribution to your efforts!) we still need a macro that looks at the columns of addresses that we have and assigns the correct postcode - of course our addresses have all kinds of different formats and abbreviations (”ave”,”rd”, etc.) Is there such a macro available somewhere?

]]> By: xurizaemon http://www.noodles.net.nz/2006/08/09/nz-postcode-database/#comment-36117 xurizaemon Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:17:21 +0000 http://www.noodles.net.nz/?p=3#comment-36117 We've identified some inaccuracies in the NZ Post web lookup tool. Here's hoping their PDF was a better data source than their online version! See http://tinyurl.com/46dsav OR http://glob.bushi.net.nz/glob/2006/09/25/seaview-road-piha-or-paihia-but-not-waitakere-thanks-nz-post/ Moral: some addresses as supplied by locals just won't work, even if 100% accurate - take care with user supplied data, I guess. We’ve identified some inaccuracies in the NZ Post web lookup tool.

Here’s hoping their PDF was a better data source than their online version!

See http://tinyurl.com/46dsav OR http://glob.bushi.net.nz/glob/2006/09/25/seaview-road-piha-or-paihia-but-not-waitakere-thanks-nz-post/

Moral: some addresses as supplied by locals just won’t work, even if 100% accurate - take care with user supplied data, I guess.

]]> By: Vivienne http://www.noodles.net.nz/2006/08/09/nz-postcode-database/#comment-35118 Vivienne Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:58:54 +0000 http://www.noodles.net.nz/?p=3#comment-35118 Hi there Where would I get this data? I am interested in suburb, postcode, latitude and longitude. Thanks so much - great thread! Vivien Hi there
Where would I get this data? I am interested in suburb, postcode, latitude and longitude.

Thanks so much - great thread!
Vivien

]]> By: Walter Scheer http://www.noodles.net.nz/2006/08/09/nz-postcode-database/#comment-31751 Walter Scheer Sun, 25 May 2008 06:07:18 +0000 http://www.noodles.net.nz/?p=3#comment-31751 Looking to do bulk mail outs ...do you know how i can do this price effective...what changes are at hand in that department of NZ Post ? Give me a low down please, there must be a better way...Walter Looking to do bulk mail outs …do you know how i can do this price effective…what changes are at hand in that department of NZ Post ?
Give me a low down please, there must be a better way…Walter

]]> By: Badcop666 http://www.noodles.net.nz/2006/08/09/nz-postcode-database/#comment-29234 Badcop666 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:59:21 +0000 http://www.noodles.net.nz/?p=3#comment-29234 Hi Noodles, this has been well received, thanks for your efforts, endlessly massaging data is a time honoured and poorly paid activity. I'll be using this for an Ajax postcode lookup tool in Zen Cart during signup and/or general address entry. If you've any working php/javascript code you'ré happy to share that would be appreciated, I'll certainly flick you a copy of anything I come up with. thanks again Andy Hi Noodles,
this has been well received, thanks for your efforts, endlessly massaging data is a time honoured and poorly paid activity.

I’ll be using this for an Ajax postcode lookup tool in Zen Cart during signup and/or general address entry.

If you’ve any working php/javascript code you’ré happy to share that would be appreciated, I’ll certainly flick you a copy of anything I come up with.

thanks again
Andy

]]> By: Drew http://www.noodles.net.nz/2006/08/09/nz-postcode-database/#comment-18956 Drew Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:40:34 +0000 http://www.noodles.net.nz/?p=3#comment-18956 Ok... that's weird. My inquiry was deleted. It was an honest question because I don't know much about the postcode system in New Zealand and wanted to make sure whatever data set I use is accurate. I suppose I have to assume that something sneaky and underhanded is going on here since my question was simply censored and deleted with no response whatsoever. Though I find this really odd and strange that somebody would want to do that?? Ok… that’s weird. My inquiry was deleted. It was an honest question because I don’t know much about the postcode system in New Zealand and wanted to make sure whatever data set I use is accurate. I suppose I have to assume that something sneaky and underhanded is going on here since my question was simply censored and deleted with no response whatsoever. Though I find this really odd and strange that somebody would want to do that??

]]> By: JayJay http://www.noodles.net.nz/2006/08/09/nz-postcode-database/#comment-11160 JayJay Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:40:43 +0000 http://www.noodles.net.nz/?p=3#comment-11160 YOU R THE MAN Noodles.....Thank you so much. This will help with our intranet project. Thanks again....and again....and again....and again....and.... YOU R THE MAN Noodles…..Thank you so much. This will help with our intranet project.

Thanks again….and again….and again….and again….and….

]]> By: David Wharekura http://www.noodles.net.nz/2006/08/09/nz-postcode-database/#comment-9870 David Wharekura Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:12:59 +0000 http://www.noodles.net.nz/?p=3#comment-9870 I had been doing the same thing by extracting the post office's PDF via an OCR program which then dumped it into a Microsoft SQL Server database in which I then attempted to create a matching process (via MS SQL Server Stored Procs) to update addresses with the new post codes. However, this was some time ago in my spare time. If people are interested I can re kinder the light and might revisit my work. I had been doing the same thing by extracting the post office’s PDF via an OCR program which then dumped it into a Microsoft SQL Server database in which I then attempted to create a matching process (via MS SQL Server Stored Procs) to update addresses with the new post codes.

However, this was some time ago in my spare time. If people are interested I can re kinder the light and might revisit my work.

]]> By: Wayne http://www.noodles.net.nz/2006/08/09/nz-postcode-database/#comment-9773 Wayne Mon, 08 Oct 2007 04:19:40 +0000 http://www.noodles.net.nz/?p=3#comment-9773 Hi Noodles, First, congrats for all your work on the postcodes. I downloaded your version 1 a few weeks ago (just before version 2) and also noticed the odd error and gap, so decided to see if I might produce the same data directly from NZ Post's own PDF file. After a combination of "Perl and Perspiration", I'm not too far off, although I still notice more errors every time I have another look. There are some *really* odd street names and synonyms around! Your Version 2, with the lats and longs, is obviously even more handy but I see you've omitted the suburbs and regions on the grounds that NZ Post's suburb/district/region tables are different from everyone else's! Even so, I think I'll use the above to put them back. Not sure what I really need all this for but it annoys me that the government could easily make these SQL scripts freely available from its own databases which public money has already paid for. Thanks again, keep up the good work and I'll keep you posted (pun intended)! Wayne Hi Noodles,
First, congrats for all your work on the postcodes. I downloaded your version 1 a few weeks ago (just before version 2) and also noticed the odd error and gap, so decided to see if I might produce the same data directly from NZ Post’s own PDF file. After a combination of “Perl and Perspiration”, I’m not too far off, although I still notice more errors every time I have another look. There are some *really* odd street names and synonyms around!

Your Version 2, with the lats and longs, is obviously even more handy but I see you’ve omitted the suburbs and regions on the grounds that NZ Post’s suburb/district/region tables are different from everyone else’s! Even so, I think I’ll use the above to put them back.

Not sure what I really need all this for but it annoys me that the government could easily make these SQL scripts freely available from its own databases which public money has already paid for.

Thanks again, keep up the good work and I’ll keep you posted (pun intended)!

Wayne

]]> By: josh http://www.noodles.net.nz/2006/08/09/nz-postcode-database/#comment-9195 josh Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:12:22 +0000 http://www.noodles.net.nz/?p=3#comment-9195 Hi, nice site! Please tell me how I can get the region associated with a suburb, street, or town. Thank You Hi, nice site! Please tell me how I can get the region associated with a suburb, street, or town.
Thank You

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