28-10-2020
“We’ve had cases of people trying to send fish, blood, fireworks, lighters shaped as grenades – all of which are prohibited and could cause damage and disruption to our network. We’re starting to head into what is traditionally the busiest time of the year at NZ Post, so we’re asking New Zealanders to check our website before they send something to see if it is prohibited.
“Some prohibited items might surprise people,” Brendon says, “such as magnets, perfume, birthday cakes and nail polish. “While these things in isolation may pose little risk, it’s the cumulative effect which could cause difficulty, such as magnets interfering with aircraft equipment and machinery, and perfume and nail polish which may be flammable. “Perishable items, such as birthday cakes, are prohibited unless they have an expiry date of more than 6 months and are commercially packaged, such as fruit cakes,” Brendon says.
Businesses that regularly send these types of prohibited items can set up business accounts with NZ Post, and use a specialised service to send them through the network safely. “So while you may be about to buy and receive some of these things, like nail polish, online through a business registered with us for that purpose, this reminder is really aimed at Kiwis using our services themselves".
This year has been one of unpredictable volumes and disruptions due to the COVID-19 response, so people are also being reminded to check Christmas cut off dates to avoid disappointment.
“We’ve learnt a lot from the huge volumes of parcels we received earlier this year during the COVID-19 response, and have been planning for and making changes to accommodate higher than normal volumes this Christmas. We’ve planned for a range of different scenarios and are bringing on three additional sites to manage surge in volumes, 200 more courier vans, 185 extra flights, 350 additional processing people and more than 1500 extra transport runs to deliver Christmas presents for New Zealanders.”
Source: New Zealand Post