Completed in 1903, the Hunterville Post Office is one of the most important historic buildings in the Hunterville district and a fine example of Edwardian Baroque public architecture.

The first post office in Hunterville had opened in 1885. During the 1890s the role of the Postal and Telegraph Department expanded. Not only did the volume of mail it carried increase, but it also offered a far greater range of government services, such as a savings bank and the acceptance of licence fees, taxes, and local body rates. By the early 1900s the department had adopted a policy of erecting substantial brick buildings in well-established towns.

For Hunterville the arrival of the North Island Main Trunk railway line and the provision of a station ensured its place on the map. In 1902 the Architectural Branch of the Public Works Department prepared plans for a post office more fitted to the town's new status and desire for a permanent image. The new building with its elaborate motifs was designed in the Edwardian Baroque style favoured by the Government Architect, John Campbell (1857-1942). Some of Campbell's better known designs include Wellington's Public Trust Building (1905-1909) and the Auckland Chief Post Office (1911). The contract for the new post office was let to Zajonskowski Bros of Marton, and the contract was completed in October 1903. The ground floor of the two-storey building contained the various services offered and the upper-storey served as the postmaster's residence. The kitchen was in a lean-to at the back of the building. The post office continued to serve the community until 19 May 1989 when, as a consequence of the corporatisation of the New Zealand Post Office, it was closed. The building was then sold and converted into a private residence.

The importance attached to the Hunterville Post Office is reflected in the relatively ornate design of the building, and its impressive presence on the street. It was one of many public buildings erected at this time to standard designs under the direction of the Government Architect, John Campbell, and constructed by the Public Works Department and private contractors. It exemplified the growing presence of the government in the rural sector at a time when communications were improving rapidly and the Postal and Telegraph Department was at the forefront of the provision of a great many essential government services.