New Zealanders call them texts or TXTs, and for many businesses they are the fastest way to reach a customer: a tour operator confirming that tomorrow’s trip is going ahead despite the forecast, a physio reminding a patient about an appointment, a garden centre telling regulars that the seedlings have arrived. Mailpro lets you send those messages individually, in bulk, on a schedule or automatically, from the same account you use for email marketing.
When a text works better than an email
- Time-sensitive updates: weather cancellations, changed pick-up times, last tickets for tonight’s show.
- Reminders: appointments, bookings, collections, renewals.
- Short offers to engaged customers: a one-day sale for loyalty club members, with a link to details.
- Confirmation and security codes sent from your own systems via the SMS API gateway.
For long content, images and stories, email is still the better channel. Many businesses use both; see our view on whether SMS campaigns are effective in New Zealand.
The rules for marketing texts
The Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 covers text messages in exactly the same way as email. For every commercial TXT:
- Get consent first. Ask for it clearly when you collect the mobile number; our FAQ on collecting SMS opt-ins has practical wording ideas.
- Identify yourself. Start the message with your business name so the recipient knows who it is from.
- Offer an opt-out by text. The unsubscribe must be free and work through the same channel, so a reply keyword such as STOP is the usual approach. Opt-outs take effect within 5 working days.
The Department of Internal Affairs enforces these rules. Our page on New Zealand email and SMS marketing law covers consent types and penalties.
New Zealand numbers and sender names
Store mobile numbers in international format: +64, then the number without its leading zero, so 021 123 4567 becomes +64 21 123 4567. Mailpro’s country code list helps when your contact list mixes local and overseas customers.
The main mobile networks are One NZ, Spark and 2degrees. Messaging providers generally report that alphanumeric sender names (such as “MyShop” in place of a number) are not supported for business texts to New Zealand, so a message usually arrives from a number or short code. That is another reason to put your brand name at the start of each text. You can check the options for your account in our FAQ on configuring the SMS sender name.
Timing in NZ time
A text is read almost as soon as it arrives, so timing matters more than for email. Stick to reasonable daytime hours in NZST (UTC+12) or NZDT (UTC+13, from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April), and avoid early mornings, late evenings and public holidays such as ANZAC Day unless the message is genuinely urgent. Scheduled SMS lets you prepare a campaign in advance and send it at the right moment.
What you can do with Mailpro SMS
- Personalise each message with the recipient’s name, booking time or store.
- Send automatic texts triggered by dates or actions, such as a birthday or a new sign-up.
- Follow delivery status for every campaign in the SMS statistics.
In Mailpro’s own customer survey, users rate SMS deliverability 9.8/10. Your data is hosted in Switzerland on private infrastructure, outside US jurisdiction, and never sold or rented. New accounts start with 500 free credits.