Sometimes there are major shipping network delays that affect all couriers and become impossible to work around. When our courier providers notify us of potential delays, we will log them here to keep our customers informed of how long it will take to receive their orders. 

Date: 3 July 2024

Hi there,  

Severe weather conditions are expected to worsen today, so all inter-island ferries have cancelled sailings between the North and South Islands across the next few days until Thursday morning (4 July). This will impact the usual transportation of Courier Economy items travelling between the North and South Islands. 

Delays expected  

Any inter-island items that are unable to be transported during this period will be held securely in Wellington and Christchurch until it is deemed safe for these services to resume. 

When services resume, the ferry services will be operating on a reduced capacity schedule, so it will take longer to clear backlogs. As a result, items moving between the North and South Islands using our inter-island Courier Economy service will be delayed.   

We strongly encourage you to consider overnight Courier services for any parcels that need to be shipped between islands within a certain timeframe.  

Keeping you informed  

We’re working hard to ensure items reach their destinations as quickly as possible and will continue to update our Domestic Delivery page online with our latest delivery timeframes.   

Thank you for your support and patience as we work through this together.   

Date: 15 February 2023
Please see the Service Update for 15^th February.

Below are the critical updates for today:

• Hawkes Bay, Whangarei and Northland branches are still closed – please do not despatch any items to these areas until further notice.
• Inter-island ferry sailings are still currently offline, however a Picton to Wellington sailing for freight only will be attempted mid-morning.
• Air services have recommenced and are working on clearing the backlog

The following branches are still under very high pressure, so please do expect delays in the following areas:

• Auckland (all areas)
• North Harbour & Warkworth
• Coromandel/Whitianga
• Whakatane
• Hawera

Please continue to refer to our websites for the latest network information.
https://www.posthaste.co.nz/network-status/

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Date: 14 February 2023

Good Afternoon,

Based on the current conditions of roads and linehaul access the following areas are now at BLACK Network Status (NETWORK CONTINGENCY) :

Everything North of Warkworth

• WHANGAREI
• BAY OF ISLANDS
• KAITAIA
• NAPIER
• HASTINGS
• GISBORNE
• WAIROA
• HAVELOCK NORTH

We have been advised to cease collection of any freight for these destinations until further notice. Any freight that has already been collected today for these destinations will be held in branch and scanned as “Network Disrupt”.

Should you have any “Critically Urgent” items that need to be sent, please let me know so I can explore our options.

Again, please keep an eye on our Network Status Dashboard - https://www.posthaste.co.nz/network-status/

We have multiple branches in Black (Network Contingency), Red (Very High Pressure), and Orange (High Pressure).

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Date: 10 February 2023

As you may be aware, Cyclone Gabrielle has been upgraded to a category three storm and is forecast to reach Northland on Sunday evening and expected to move down the country Monday and Tuesday.

With rainfall of 300 mm and 150 km/h winds, we do expect that this weather event is extremely likely to affect our ability to operate under normal conditions.

Whilst we cannot predict exactly what may transpire, it is important to provide you with as up to date information as possible to help you prepare.

Our first priority is to ensure the safety of our people, then our premises and your items already within our care.

We will continue to monitor and review the situation; we will activate business continuity plans when and where required.

It is important to note that our aircraft cannot operate should winds exceed 80 km/h so please do consider delaying cold chain, perishable or time sensitive items. Inter-island ferry sailings are also subject to wind and swell conditions. With widespread flooding also likely and areas that are already vulnerable due to the January 27 flooding, may render some locations inaccessible.

Please continue to refer to our websites for the latest network information.

NZTA road closure information can be found here:
https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic

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Date: 16/02/2022

Our couriers have released a new Network Status Framework to keep us informed of the current status of the courier network. If you have any questions about potential courier delays you can find the status of the network here.

Date: 26/11/2021

Please be aware that we continue to experience considerably higher than normal parcel volumes throughout the country.  Last week we experienced our busiest week of the year so far and as at Thursday 25th November, we are on track to eclipse that record.

While Auckland will be moving out of Alert level 3, Black Friday and Christmas volumes will more than likely set a new benchmark next week.  This will continue to put pressure on the system which will result in continued delays into and out of Auckland in particular.

To ensure the wellbeing and safety of our team and the wider community, we will continue to operate with protocols such as segregated shifts and social distancing as advised by the Ministry of Health.  Our people are operating in extremely challenging conditions and we are incredibly proud of their performance and grateful for their hard work and commitment since COVID re-appeared in the community again in mid-August.

In addition to activating our peak plan early, we have significantly increased personnel for freight sorting and delivery. Auckland has acquired an additional processing facility, a 2200m2 canopy is currently under construction to stage freight and we have just signed up to new and significantly larger premises in West Auckland.

While all this helps, the unrelenting volume means we are currently experiencing delays of approximately 2-5 business days.

To add to an already challenging environment, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union has indicated they will be taking industrial action in December in the form of a strike. This is likely to be two days and will affect all rail and ferry services in New Zealand. During that period we will not be able to accept any two-day Inter Island freight as it will not be able to move across the Cook Strait. We do not have the capacity to store this volume, nor afford to lose the transport containers from our network that this freight will sit in for the 4-5 day period.  The strike is expected to take place 15-16 December, however as more information comes to hand, we continue to provide updates.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could please refrain from contacting our branches if your delivery has been delayed for less than 5 working days.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, we can assure you that we are constantly working to improve the situation and thank you for your patience at this time.

Date: 5/11/2021

Courier Delays and Enquiry Timeframes

Date: 4/11/2021

With regions in New Zealand at different Alert-Levels we are currently experiencing considerably higher than normal volumes throughout the country; In addition to this with Auckland being at Alert Level 3 and with high Covid-19 positive case numbers many businesses are unable to accept face to face contact compounding delays in and out of Auckland.

You are probably aware that our people are operating in challenging conditions – we are incredibly proud of their performance and grateful for their good work and commitment please be aware of how hard our people are working to keep New Zealand moving.

To ensure the safety of our team and the community, we are required to operate with protocols such as segregated shifts and social distancing. We have increased our resources accordingly, however due to the additional safety measures, increased case numbers in Auckland and increased volume border restrictions this does create very unusual challenges. We are currently experiencing delivery delays of approximately 2-4 business days.

In addition to this, inter island ferry services are operating at a significantly reduced capacity due to mechanical issues and weather disruptions, which has added further impact on our network particularly into the South Island.

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Date: 14/10/2021

Inter-Island Ferry Crossings were cancelled Wednesday Evening due to heavy weather conditions in the cook straight, this will have some impact on our two-day interisland freight movements, please bear this in mind on any items sent over the last 24 hours may occur an extra day delay. Sailings should resume later today.

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Date: 01/10/2021

(Please note, we have shifted volumes away from courier post to meet service expectations for our customers but we suspect our other courier operators will be experiencing similar situations to the below message as well.)

The courier volumes are at record levels and NZ Post network is under extreme pressure in particular in Auckland.

It is now at a stage that the volumes are bringing the Auckland operations to a standstill.

To alleviate this there will be reductions of 20% in the amount of parcels that can be collected in the early part of next week in Auckland and the North Island.

There will be no pickups over the weekend.

We understand the frustration that may occur however this is a better solution than bringing the network to a stop.

NZ Post are confident that these measures along with the extra resources they are looking to deploy will bring the network back to an operable level.

We would ask everyone to be patient and work with us during these hectic times.

Please do not follow up parcels originating from the Auckland area unless 7 working days has elapsed.

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Date: 17/09/2021

Inter Island Ferry Network Disruption

Interislander have advised of further disruptions to their network and for the next 2 weeks, will be reduced from 3 vessels to 1 as per below schedule.

Kaitaki – current vessel in service
Kairarahi - assessment and repair of mechanical problems continue – return to service date is yet to be confirmed
Aratere – Regulation Maritime routine hull inspection, anti-corrosion protection and painting at a dry dock.  Target return to service date is Monday 4 October 2021

Whilst we have managed to secure additional capacity on other carriers, we do expect that this may result in an additional transit time of 1-2 days for all inter island road freight movements.

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Date: 2/08/2021

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Date: 16/07/2021

There is a nationwide Farmers protest today against the EV/Clean car taxes.

Date: 1/07/2021

Inter-Island ferry services have recommenced, albeit on a reduced schedule.

Due to the cancellation of ferry services over the past few days, the backlog of Economy, Courier Economy is significant. There is a large volume of trucks trying to get on the ferry sailings that are running and while we have some priority there will be delays in clearing the backlog of our Inter Island Economy product. Please expect delivery delays of 2 – 3 days. 

Due to the extent of this weather event, please bear with us as we continue to work through the backlog of items, and remember to use our tracking tool to check details for your delivery.　

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Date: 30/06/2021

The cold weather system moving up the country has had a significant impact to our network.

Main highways through the central North Island have remained closed. Contingencies are in place, but deliveries are expected to be delayed due to backlog and additional travel time.

South Island highways remain open. A large portion of deliveries may not reach their destination immediately, as we continue to clear backlogged items.

All Interislander ferry services remain suspended. Freight only sailings may resume later today. We recommend holding off sending Economy Parcel items until Interislander ferry services have resumed or alternatively if your items are required urgently send using the overnight service.

We are currently unable to deliver to some coastal areas of Wellington that are under a state of emergency due to large swells.

Due to the extent of this weather event, please bear with us as we continue to work through these widespread delays, and remember to use our tracking tool to check details for your delivery.　

We will continue to monitor our networks as we work to get product cleared as soon as possible.

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Date: 29/06/2021

We had a number of challenges in our network last night and this morning due to weather and accidents.

The South Island network has been severely disrupted by the cold weather system moving up the country.

State Highway 1 Palmerston to Dunedin State Highway 7 Hamner Springs to Springs Junction, State Highway 8 Lindis Pass from Omarama to Queenstown, State Highway 8 Alexandra to Roxburgh, State Highway 85 Palmerston to Kyeburn, State Highway 87 Outram to Kyeburn and State Highway 93 Clinton to Mataura closed by snow, these closures have prevented high volumes of consignments arriving into South Island destinations.

The extent of the weather and road closures will create major delays to product destined for the majority of the South Island.

The Cook Strait ferry services have currently been cancelled and we are awaiting communication on when they will resume. This will result in delays for the road product between the Islands.

Our Queenstown depot is currently closed and they will reassess the situation mid-morning – no freight has yet made it into Queenstown.

An accident on the Southern Motorway this morning has delayed trucks into our main Operations site.

Please bear with us as we continue to work safely through these widespread delays and minimise contact with our frontline teams. You can use our website to check any delivery details and updates.

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Date: 28/06/2021

Good Afternoon,

An early heads-up that we’re expecting the network to be disrupted by some severe weather events over the next 24-48 hours.

We’ve been notified that all Interislander ferry sailings will be cancelled on Tue due to strong southerly gales and heavy swells in Cook Strait.

The cancellations and delays may also extend into Wed.

This will impact Economy Parcel and Mail product moving between the North and South Island (in both directions)

Delivery delays of 1-2 days can be expected over the course of this week.

In addition, heavy snowfall is expected throughout the South Island and in the Lower and Central North Island areas over coming days, which is expected to result in multiple road closures and widespread delivery delays.

The strong winds and icy conditions are expected to impact both our road and air operations.

Updates will be provided as events unfold, but it’s shaping up to be a highly disruptive week.

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