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NZ Post tracking status

NZ Post tracking not updating: why, and what to do

The short answer

Keep an eye on it

NZ Post has no new scan to show yet, which is often normal on Economy parcels because they only get a few scans. A wrong tracking number gives the same message, so check the number first. A long silence on a Courier parcel deserves a closer look.

When to act: If there is still no new scan after 5 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: “No tracking updates” · “Tracking tool unavailable” · “Ready to send” · “Tracking Number Allocated to Item” · “Tracking number allocated to parcel” · “Label created”

What to do now

  1. Type the tracking number again without spaces or brackets. NZ Post numbers look like AA123456789NZ, and Courier numbers run to about 20 digits.

  2. Compare your number with the one in the seller's dispatch message, in case a digit is wrong.

  3. Note the date of the last scan and count working days from it, leaving out weekends and public holidays.

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

  5. Screenshot the tracking page and keep the tracking number and your order confirmation.

  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

No update for days with another courier

What is going on

NZ Post's status table says 'No tracking updates' means one of two things: it needs more time to scan the parcel, or the tracking number is wrong. Its format examples are two letters, nine digits and NZ, as in AA123456789NZ, and for Courier parcels a long number of about 20 digits. A gap in scans alone does not show that the parcel is lost, and it does not rule that out. NZ Post says not every parcel gets every scan: an Economy parcel within New Zealand may show only 'Collected from sender' and 'Delivered', sometimes with 'With courier for delivery' in between, and a parcel handed in at an NZ Post store or Postcentre, put in a post box or picked up by a Rural Delivery driver may never get the 'Collected from sender' line.

'Ready to send', 'Label created' and 'Tracking Number Allocated to Item' are a different case. For 'Ready to send', NZ Post says a number exists but the item is not with it yet. For the other two, it says only that the sender has allocated a number. So the next move is usually the sender's, unless the parcel missed its first scan. 'Tracking tool unavailable' means the NZ Post tracking service itself has a fault and says nothing about your parcel.

Why it happens

  • An Economy parcel with only a few scans between collection and delivery
  • A parcel handed in at a store or post box, or given to a Rural Delivery driver, that missed the first scan
  • A mistyped tracking number, or one typed with spaces or brackets
  • A label exists, but the parcel has not reached NZ Post yet
  • A parcel from overseas that has not reached NZ Post's network yet
  • A hold-up during processing, which NZ Post puts down to misdirection, a hold or possible damage
  • A fault in the tracking service

What usually happens next

NZ Post's delivery targets are the next working day for Courier in most larger towns and cities and up to 3 working days for Courier Economy and Economy, and rural addresses can take longer. The next line is usually 'Processed at depot' or 'With courier for delivery'. If a reasonable time has passed and NZ Post has no information on where a parcel is, its terms say it may treat the parcel as lost. 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.

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 “Tracking not updating”

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 does my NZ Post tracking number show nothing?

NZ Post says it either needs more time to scan the parcel or the number is wrong. It gives two formats: AA123456789NZ, and for Courier parcels a long number of about 20 digits that can start with 00. Leave out spaces and brackets.

Can I still track a CourierPost parcel?

Yes. CourierPost was NZ Post's courier brand and was folded into NZ Post, so these parcels now run as Courier and Courier Economy and are tracked with the NZ Post tracking tool and app. The old name can still appear on some of its pages.

My NZ Post tracking still says 'Ready to send'. What now?

NZ Post says it does not have the item yet, so the next move is the sender's, unless the parcel missed its first scan. If nothing changes after 3 working days, file a complaint on Complain.biz about the seller.

When does NZ Post treat a parcel as lost?

It publishes no fixed number of days. Its terms say that once a reasonable delivery period has passed and it has no information on where the parcel is, it may treat it as lost. For a parcel sent within New Zealand, the sender has 21 days from sending to report non-delivery.

Based on

  • NZ Post: What does my tracking status mean? (table of status wordings)
  • NZ Post: When is my parcel tracking updated? (which scans each service gets, parcels that miss the first scan)
  • NZ Post: Parcel scans using our NZ Post tracking tool, and what they mean
  • NZ Post: Postal Users' Guide (delivery targets, time limits, how long enquiries take)
  • NZ Post: Cover for loss or damage (when an item may be treated as lost, 21 days, who raises it)
  • NZ Post: What can I do if I have a missing item? (up to 10 days for domestic items)
  • NZ Post: Delivering together (CourierPost and Pace became NZ Post)
  • Tracking history shared on Reddit, r/newzealand: stuck on tracking number allocated to parcel (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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