NZ Post tracking
NZ Post tracking statuses explained
NZ Post is New Zealand's national postal operator and delivers parcels for online shops, businesses and people sending their own. CourierPost was its courier brand: NZ Post folded CourierPost and Pace into the single NZ Post name, so former CourierPost parcels now run as its Courier and Courier Economy services (Pace became Express) and are tracked with NZ Post. A Courier parcel is usually scanned when it is collected, at the depot, when it is with the driver and when it is delivered. An Economy parcel may show only two or three of those lines, so a gap between scans on Economy is not unusual.
Every NZ Post tracking status explained
| Status | What it means | Should you worry? |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery attempted | A driver came but could not leave your parcel, so NZ Post left a Missed my parcel card and kept the parcel. | Take action |
| Tracking not updating | NZ Post has no new scan to show yet, which is often normal on Economy parcels because they only get a few scans. | Keep an eye on it |
| Parcel delayed | NZ Post has flagged your parcel as running late and says it is working to get it back on track. | Keep an eye on it |
| Delivered but not received | Tracking says delivered, but the parcel is not with you. | Take action |
| Processed at depot | Your parcel has been through an NZ Post depot and should move on to another depot or a local driver. | Normal |
| With courier for delivery | Your parcel is on board with the local driver and NZ Post expects it to reach you today. | Normal |
| Ready to collect | Your parcel is waiting at a collection location, and NZ Post returns it to the sender if it is not picked up in time. | Take action |
| Held for Clearance | Your parcel from overseas is being checked at the New Zealand border and has not been released to NZ Post yet. | Keep an eye on it |
| Undeliverable | NZ Post could not deliver your parcel, usually because of a wrong address or because the driver could not get in. | Take action |
| Returned to Sender | Your parcel is going back to the sender, and NZ Post says it cannot retrieve it once this shows. | Take action |
NZ Post delays
NZ Post calls its delivery times targets, not guarantees: the next working day for Courier in most larger towns and cities, and up to 3 working days for Courier Economy and Economy. It says times vary with origin, destination, courier collection schedules, network conditions, weather events and other operational factors, and rural, small urban and remote addresses can take longer. The day it accepts a parcel is day zero, and weekends and public holidays do not count. Its public holiday notices say that a Courier parcel sent on the Friday before a Monday public holiday, without a Saturday delivery label, is not attempted until the Tuesday. Parcels from overseas can also wait 3 to 5 working days for NZ Customs to assess them, and 2 to 10 working days to reach NZ Post once released.
Is your parcel from NZ Post late or missing?
Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from NZ Post?
If you bought online from a business that arranged the delivery, the seller is responsible. Under the Consumer Guarantees Act (section 5A), a supplier who delivers or arranges delivery guarantees that you will receive the goods at the agreed time or, if no time was agreed, within a reasonable time. Your rights are against the seller, and on delivery the Act gives two. If the failure is substantial, you can reject the goods and choose a refund or, if the seller has one in stock, a replacement. The courier losing the parcel does not take that right away, because the Act treats the carrier as the seller's agent on this point. In any case, the seller owes damages for loss that could reasonably be foreseen. NZ Post's contract is with the sender, and it usually pays any compensation to the sender. The Act sets no number of days, and it does not say whether a parcel left at your address counts as received. It covers sellers in trade and goods normally bought for personal or household use, not a private person selling something second hand.
If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is with NZ Post, under its Public Contract and Postal Users' Guide, and you are the one who has to raise a problem with it. It promises reasonable care and skill. Its delivery times are targets and its terms say it pays no compensation for delay. If it is liable for a parcel lost or damaged within New Zealand, cover is up to $250 for Economy or $2,000 for Courier, including Courier Economy, plus the postage, depending on its conditions. Its terms set a limit of 21 days from sending for a parcel that never arrived, and 10 days from delivery for damage (7 for a business). NZ Post says Consumer Guarantees Act rights apply alongside these terms, but subject to the Postal Services Act and the carriage rules in the Contract and Commercial Law Act. Those rules limit a carrier's liability for loss or damage to the contract and the rules themselves, unless it caused the loss on purpose (section 244). Government guidance says the same for a carrier you hire yourself, and that the Act can still cover unreasonable delay. A business that sends parcels agrees, as far as the law allows, that the Act does not apply.
Questions about NZ Post tracking
What does 'Missed my parcel' mean on NZ Post?
A driver tried to deliver but could not leave the parcel, usually because a signature was needed or there was nowhere safe. The card says when the driver came and what to do next.
Why is my NZ Post tracking not updating?
Usually because the parcel is between scans. NZ Post says Economy parcels get only a few scans, and some parcels miss the first one. If nothing changes after 5 working days, file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to NZ Post.
Why is my NZ Post parcel delayed?
The status line gives no reason. NZ Post says delays can come from misdirection, a hold or possible damage, and that weather and network conditions affect delivery times. Its delivery updates page lists wider problems, but not a single parcel.
My NZ Post parcel says delivered but I don't have it. What do I do?
Search places not visible from the road, ask others at the address, and look in tracking for a photo or signature name. If you cannot find it by the end of the next working day, file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to NZ Post.
What does 'Processed at depot' mean on NZ Post?
The parcel has been through an NZ Post depot and is being sorted for its next leg. NZ Post's own description is only 'Your parcel has been processed'. It is a normal step and does not give a delivery date.
Based on
- Consumer Guarantees Act, section 5A (guarantee as to delivery), sections 18, 20, 21 and 23 (rejecting goods, substantial failure, damages, refund or replacement), section 2 (who is a supplier and a consumer)
- Contract and Commercial Law Act, section 243 (carriage of letters by a postal operator is excluded) and section 244 (a carrier's liability for loss or damage)
- New Zealand government consumer guidance: Delivery issues (the shop is responsible for delivery until the goods reach you; a carrier you hire yourself; delay)
- NZ Post: Cover for loss or damage (cover limits, who raises a problem, time limits, no compensation for delay)
- NZ Post: Public Contract (reasonable care and skill, liability caps, Consumer Guarantees Act rights)
- NZ Post: Postal Users' Guide (delivery targets, cover limits, Courier includes Courier Economy, time limits, consumer rights subject to other Acts, claim payments usually go to the sender)
- NZ Post: Collect my parcel Terms and Conditions (NZ Post's contract to deliver your parcel is with the sender)
- NZ Post: Delivering together (CourierPost became Courier and Courier Economy, Pace became Express)