eCommerce business continues to grow and customer expections are high.
Swift and accurate final-mile delivery can be a point-of-difference in the marketplace, reducing delays and increasing supplier reliability and customer confidence.
The objective of this testing was to monitor transit times for courier items and offer a base for comparison between two courier networks. Time of delivery was based on the tracking details provided on each company’s website.
What was tested
An independent residential comparative network pressure test was conducted over the busiest period of the year for B2C deliveries.
The testing encompassed sends for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the start of Christmas Peak.
Peak delivery service is a key factor for repeat orders and customer loyalty.
What happened
New Zealand Couriers’ residential deliveries were completed in less than half the average time taken by NZ Post for the same addresses and across the same delivery period.
Get the Full Report
Download the full PDF report for our Residential B2C Delivery Comparison – December 2025 Results to see how our network performed.
On Tuesday 2 December 2025, 400 courier satchels were dispatched to 200 identical residential addresses. Half were handed to New Zealand Couriers and half to NZ Post (these items were similar sized satchels and had identical address details).
Both networks were under pressure from Black Friday Sales (28 November); Cyber Monday (1 December); Christmas Peak (December). New Zealand Couriers and NZ Post courier drivers both picked-up all of their 200 satchels on the morning of Tuesday 2 December. These were successful ‘courier pick-ups’ by both courier companies.
New Zealand Couriers moved the majority of these items overnight through their linehaul network (this is evidenced by 75% of items being delivered the following day – Day 1).
This visual shows the comparative delivery timings – the dotted line indicates what would have happened if NZ Post had not suffered a 24 hour network delay.
Day 1. It was clear that NZ Post was not making many (any) deliveries.
NZ Post did not appear to move any of these items overnight through their linehaul network (this is evidenced with 0% of items being delivered the following day – Day 1). From DAY 2, NZ Post started the ‘courier delivery’ to receivers of the satchels.
The blue dotted line shows projected delivery performance if NZ Post had not lost a full day to a network delay, with the delivery curve shifted forward by 24 hours.
Conclusion
Black Friday (28th November) and Cyber Monday (1 December) are key trading periods for eCommerce and Residential Delivery. New Zealand businesses need to be able to trust their chosen courier partner, especially during high pressure periods.
Timely delivery over high pressure periods, solidifies customer relationships and frequently assists with retention and trust through the rest of the year. Peak delivery service is a key factor for repeat orders and customer loyalty.
New Zealand Couriers premium service proposition of average residential delivery 23 hours and 29 minutes earlier than NZ Post is a market advantage that kiwi businesses cannot ignore. In a competitive marketplace with a challenging trading environment the impact of this advantage is significant.
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