NZ Post has taken over the administration of popular Twitter account 'NZ Secret Santa', which facilitates a gift exchange between anonymous volunteers at Christmas time.
The well-known holiday tradition became available to the online community when Hamilton man Sam Elton-Walter created the account three years ago.
Nearly 900 people have signed up, as it becomes a much-anticipated annual event for the local Twitter community.
Mr Elton-Walter decided to pass the torch to NZ Post after the administrative side became too time-consuming for him.
"Sam wrote a blog post saying he would no longer have time, on top of his day job and his giant-pumpkin growing hobby," said NZ Post spokesperson Jaimee Burke.
"We've been fans of the account for quite a while, and it aligns with our brand really well, so we approached him about it".
Twitter users are encouraged to look into their assigned persons' bio and online presence to work out what $10 gift they may like.
Mr Elton-Walter, known as 'WebSam', tweeted today thanking people for their support and kind words. He said spreading the Christmas cheer has been the major reward and there have been some wonderful moments.
One Secret Santa user wrote, "Sam did a great job, glad to see this fun, social tradition continue. Thumbs up NZPost".
NZ Post's Ms Burke says a small team of employees working in the online area will take over responsibility of the account.
She says they are not doing it for any financial reward – each user will still be able to choose any postal service to send their gift.
"We're only in it because it's a fun thing to do".
Mr Elton-Walter said there may be a few new tweaks, but he is certain the "winning formula" won't be changed.
3 News
source: newshub archive
