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NZ Post tracking status

NZ Post “Processed at depot”: what it means

The short answer

Normal

Your parcel has been through an NZ Post depot and should move on to another depot or a local driver. It is a normal step. NZ Post's own description is only 'Your parcel has been processed', and it publishes no limit on how long this lasts.

When to act: If 'Processed at depot' is still the latest scan after 3 working days, file a complaint and we send it to NZ Post.

Bizzy online

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

Also shown as: “Processing at depot” · “Collected from sender” · “Your parcel has been collected from the sender's location” · “In transit” · “In transit to local/regional delivery depot” · “Ready for Courier” · “Awaiting Delivery Consolidation”

What to do now

  1. Find out which service was used, because the target differs: Courier is usually the next working day, Courier Economy and Economy up to 3 working days.

  2. Count working days from the first scan. The day NZ Post accepts a parcel is day zero, and weekends and public holidays do not count.

  3. If a signature is needed and you will not be home, add a Leave my parcel authority now. You cannot add it once the parcel is with the courier, and NZ Post says it is not liable for a parcel left that way.

  4. Turn on email notifications for the parcel in your NZ Post account, so you see the next scan.

  5. Screenshot the tracking history if the line stops changing, and keep the tracking number.

  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

What does “Processed at depot” mean?

A depot is where NZ Post sorts parcels for the next leg. Its status table says only 'Your parcel has been processed', and its scan guide adds that the parcel is being sorted in preparation for delivery. NZ Post does not say how long a parcel stays there, or whether this is the depot nearest to you. On a Courier or Courier Economy parcel, which the scan guide still calls the Courier Post service, the usual order is 'Collected from sender', 'Processed at depot', 'Ready for Courier', 'With courier for delivery', then 'Delivered'. 'Collected from sender' means a driver or a store took the parcel in. 'In transit' means it is on its way to be processed. 'In transit to local/regional delivery depot' can appear in between, when a parcel moves on to a local depot.

The line does not mean the parcel is out for delivery, and it does not mean it is lost. NZ Post says delay can occur at this stage because of misdirection, a hold or possible damage, and those parcels can get their own line, 'Parcel delayed' or 'Missorted'. 'Ready for Courier' means it has reached your local depot and is waiting for your driver. 'Awaiting Delivery Consolidation' means it is part of a group NZ Post will deliver together once all of them are ready.

Why does NZ Post show it?

  • The parcel was sorted at a depot on its way to you
  • It is moving between a regional depot and a local one
  • It is at your local depot, waiting for your driver
  • It is part of a group of parcels being delivered together
  • Misdirection, a hold or possible damage has slowed it down
  • A weekend or public holiday falls in between, and those do not count as working days

How long does it last?

The next line is usually 'Ready for Courier' or 'With courier for delivery'. NZ Post targets the next working day for Courier parcels in most larger towns and cities, and up to 3 working days for Courier Economy and Economy. These are guides, not guarantees, and rural, small urban and remote addresses can take longer.

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 “Processed at depot”

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.

How long does a parcel stay at an NZ Post depot?

NZ Post publishes no figure. It targets the next working day for most Courier parcels and up to 3 working days for Courier Economy and Economy. If this is still the latest scan after 3 working days, file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to NZ Post.

Why does my NZ Post parcel show 'Processed at depot' more than once?

NZ Post does not explain repeats. A parcel can move between a regional depot and a local one. In tracking histories people share, this line can also follow a failed delivery attempt, so read the line above it. Repeats days apart with no move forward are worth a screenshot.

Can I collect my parcel from the NZ Post depot at this stage?

NZ Post's tracking pages mention collecting from a depot only after a failed delivery, when the card shows which one. At this stage the parcel is still being sorted, so wait for the next scan.

Based on

  • NZ Post: What does my tracking status mean? (table of status wordings)
  • NZ Post: Parcel scans using our NZ Post tracking tool, and what they mean (order of scans, Courier Post service)
  • NZ Post: When is my parcel tracking updated? (scans per service)
  • NZ Post: Postal Users' Guide (delivery targets, working days)
  • NZ Post: Domestic delivery updates (day zero, targets are a guide)
  • NZ Post: Leave my parcel (cannot be added once with the courier, no liability for a parcel left that way)
  • Tracking history shared on Reddit, r/newzealand: Delivery attempted, refer to card, then Processing at depot (one thread)
  • Tracking history shared on Reddit, r/newzealand: attempt, then processed at depot (one thread)
  • 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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