We asked our investigations team how to avoid your parcels ending up in their hands this busy festive season. With more than 20 years of experience at NZ Post here’s what they told us:

1. If sending to a business, always include a Business Name and Unit Number in the address – this is the #1 reason for delayed parcels when deemed undeliverable
2. Whenever possible include a phone number for the recipient – if something goes wrong this will speed up resolving any issues
3. Don’t put tape over labels – the tape can make addresses or tracking numbers unreadable/unscannable
4. Do remove or cover old address labels so there is no confusion about where your parcel should go
5. Don’t strap multiple items together. They can get separated, and we’ll have no way of knowing where they were headed (if strapping is necessary, be sure to address each individual item)

To help us get your parcels delivered on time and avoid double-handling, delays and additional charges, make sure you follow our size and weight requirements for the service you select.

• Courier Pack labels should be the correct size to match your item and Courier Pack labels should not be applied to boxes
• Check our sizes online
• If you’re sending parcels internationally the size and weight limits on can be found here. Alternatively, you can enter the accurate dimensions and weight at label creation, and our API will provide the services that can be used to send that parcel.

Customs authorities and some other border agencies play a vital role in international sending.

To get the parcels customs cleared successfully, please make sure the full information as required will be provided when you create the shipping labels. Some destinations have their own requirements and use a specific system to monitor and perform safety and security risk assessment over the goods moving into or transit through the territories.

For example, the European Union destinations plus Norway and Switzerland use ICS2 – Import Control System 2. For more information on the requirements, please visit nzpost.co.nz/business-ead

Apart from providing full information for customs clearance purposes, the customs authorities may also assess the duties and taxes liable for the parcels.

Services such as Economy Tracked and Courier don’t provide Duties and Taxes Paid services at the time being. The fees and charges at destinations are collected by the local postal operators from the recipients. Make sure they are aware of the additional fee may apply to avoid non-delivery due to the receivers refusing to pay for it.

• Check the addresses on your labels are correct to help us deliver your parcels first time and avoid mid-directed parcels and delays in delivery
• If you need to double check an address you can use our Address and Postcode Finder
• Our ParcelAddress API can assist you with address checking. Learn more about our APIs
• If you’re a managed customer, talk to your Business Manager about the best option for address validation

• Avoid your parcels being unnecessarily held with NZ Customs by ensuring you are accurately manifesting parcel data.
• Here’s some key information to meet the legal requirements:
  • The value of the goods listed must match the value of the commercial invoice. The goods value currency must also be accurately listed
  • Include the full name (first and last name) of the consignee/recipient along with their delivery address
  • Consignor details must be the company name and address of the seller
  • Accurately manifest the weight of the goods 
  • Accurately describe the contents of the parcel, focusing on describing the function and key materials of the item, rather than colour or other unnecessary characteristics.
  • Accurately provide the incoterms for the goods
  • If you are selling more than NZD60,000 per annum to NZ recipients, you also need to ensure you are declaring that GST is prepaid and add your NZ Inland Revenue number into your manifest
  • All shipments (either commercial or private) with a value over NZD $1,000.00 require formal clearance through NZ Customs, as well as a customs client code. More information and contact details can be found on the NZ Customs website
• Download our guide to sending parcels to NZ (PDF - 2.7MB)

NZ Post is the most trusted courier in New Zealand. This means your customers know our brand, and partnering with NZ Post improves their perception of your business - but please ensure you are correctly using our NZ Post branding on your website and shopping cart, and in any communications going to your customers.

Find guidelines and downloads in our brand assets hub.

You can let your customers know that they have free access to the NZ Post App. Offering full visibility for your customers to track their parcels and avoid disappointment this busy shopping period. This can also alleviate pressure on your team.