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NZ Post tracking status

NZ Post says delivered but no parcel: what to do

The short answer

Take action

Tracking says delivered, but the parcel is not with you. NZ Post says it is likely in a safe place or with someone at the address, so search today and check tracking for a photo or a signature name.

When to act: If you cannot find the parcel by the end of the next working day, file a complaint and we send it to NZ Post.

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Tell me what happened. I write your complaint with you and we send it to NZ Post.

Also shown as: “Delivered” · “Delivery Complete” · “Your parcel has been delivered”

What to do now

  1. Open the tracking details and look for a photo of where it was left or the name of the person who signed.

  2. Search places that cannot be seen from the road, such as a back door or carport.

  3. Ask everyone at your address and your neighbours. In an apartment block or business, check reception and the front desk.

  4. Check the delivery address on your order, including the unit number and postcode.

  5. Save screenshots of the tracking page and any doorbell camera footage from the delivery time.

  6. Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to NZ Post, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

    Start my complaint

Says delivered, but it is not here with another courier

Tracking says delivered but nothing arrived: who is responsible? →

What is going on

'Delivered' or 'Delivery Complete' means the driver scanned the parcel as delivered. NZ Post delivers to an address, not to a person. A parcel with no signature counts as delivered once it is at the address you gave, and if nobody is home it may be left somewhere weatherproof and out of public view. A signature parcel counts as delivered when someone at the address signs, and tracking may show who did. If a Leave my parcel authority is in place, the driver signs for you and leaves it in your chosen spot, and tracking shows a photo of where it was left. NZ Post says it is not liable for loss or damage to a parcel left that way.

If the parcel is still missing, it may be out of sight from the road, taken in by someone, at a reception desk, at the wrong address, or taken after it was left. NZ Post says that if it cannot find the parcel it may ask you to go to the sender to start the compensation process, because its contract is with the sender. For a shop order, the seller guarantees that you receive the goods, although the Consumer Guarantees Act does not say whether a parcel left at your address counts as received.

Why it happens

  • Left somewhere not easily visible from the road, such as a back door or carport
  • Signed for or taken in by someone else at the address
  • At reception or the front desk of an apartment block or business
  • Left in your chosen safe place under a Leave my parcel authority
  • The address on the order was wrong or incomplete
  • Delivered to the wrong address
  • Taken after it was left

What usually happens next

NZ Post publishes no waiting time for this, so search straight away. It says its checks on a missing domestic parcel can take up to 10 days on one of its pages, and one to two weeks or longer in its terms. Its terms give the sender 21 days from the sending date to report a parcel that never arrived, so this is not something to leave for weeks.

Other NZ Post statuses

All NZ Post statuses →

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 “Delivered but not received”

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.

Who is responsible for a lost NZ Post parcel?

If a business sold it and arranged delivery, the Consumer Guarantees Act makes that business responsible for you receiving it, even when the courier lost it. If you sent it yourself, your contract is with NZ Post, under its terms and cover limits.

How long do I have to report a missing NZ Post parcel?

NZ Post's terms give the person who paid for sending 21 days from the sending date for a parcel within New Zealand that never arrived. Your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act are separate. Do not wait: file a complaint on Complain.biz once your search has failed.

Does NZ Post take a photo of where it left my parcel?

NZ Post says tracking shows a photo of where the parcel was left when a Leave my parcel authority is in place. It does not say every parcel gets one, so a missing photo proves nothing on its own.

Is NZ Post responsible if my parcel was taken after it was left?

NZ Post's terms treat a parcel with no signature as delivered once it is at the address, and its cover does not extend to loss after delivery. It also says it is not liable for a parcel left under a Leave my parcel authority. The Consumer Guarantees Act says you must receive the goods but not whether a parcel left at the address counts, so a shop order may still be for the seller to put right.

Based on

  • NZ Post: What does my tracking status mean? (table of status wordings)
  • NZ Post: My parcel says Delivered but I don't have it
  • NZ Post: Postal Users' Guide (when delivery is complete, weatherproof place, delivery to an address, how long enquiries take)
  • NZ Post: Leave my parcel (photo of where the parcel was left, no liability for a parcel left that way)
  • NZ Post: Receiving (back door or carport as a safe place)
  • NZ Post: Cover for loss or damage (21 days, who raises it, loss after delivery)
  • NZ Post: What can I do if I have a missing item? (up to 10 days for domestic items)
  • NZ Post: Collect my parcel Terms and Conditions (the contract is with the sender)
  • Consumer Guarantees Act, section 5A (guarantee as to delivery) and section 20 (the carrier as the supplier's agent)
  • New Zealand government consumer guidance: Delivery issues
  • 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)

Parcel still not here?
File a complaint about NZ Post.

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