Christmas shopping in Northland shifts to online with bumper parcel deliveries

NZ Post's Ian Revington says the Northland depot handled 25,000 more overnight courier parcels in the first two weeks of December than the same time last year. Photo / Denise Piper

NZ Post Northland has dealt with a bumper number of parcels in the last six weeks, showing the Christmas shopping habits of Northlanders are changing to more online orders.

The Whangārei depot, which sorts all overnight couriers from Warkworth to Cape Reinga, is handling thousands more parcels a week than last year, said Northland service delivery manager Ian Revington.

It delivered 25,000 more parcels in the first two weeks of December than the same time last year, he said.

Fortunately, the depot is geared up to handle such volumes, after moving from Port Rd to a new depot five times the size on Union East St in November 2023, Revington said.

The upgrade was required due to the explosion of online shopping during the Covid lockdowns, when monthly parcel deliveries jumped from 250,000 to 370,000, he said.

But that number was exceeded last month with 376,000 deliveries - incorporating a busy Black Friday - and Revington expects the record will be broken again by the time December is over.

While the parcels coming in include a number of Temu orders and items from China in general, acceptance volumes - from Northland businesses sending goods out - is also up by about 5% on last year, he said.

The depot, its couriers and rural delivery drivers are all used to the pressure, after the Covid lockdowns made them match-fit, Revington said.

“We spend most of the year planning for this, our peak,” he said.

The change in Northlanders’ shopping habits are also being felt by retailers, who say shops in central Whangārei have been quieter than normal.

NorthChamber president Tim Robinson, from Bernina Northland in Whangārei’s Strand Arcade, said town was very quiet until Wednesday, December 18.

Tim Robinson from NorthChamber says people are cautious about spending lots of money. Photo / Michael Cunningham

“It’s been very quiet in town - there was a significant lack of any foot traffic.”

Robinson believed the change was due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.

“Despite inflation falling and interest rates coming down, we really sense there are a lot of people very cautious about spending money.

“It’s not that they don’t want to go out and spend on themselves, or others, it’s just that there’s still a caution and uncertainty about the next 12 months.”

Robinson also agreed shopping habits were changing to more online orders, although he personally found Bernina Northland’s customers like to come into the store to view the likes of coloured fabrics.

Retailers need to offer a good in-store experience to keep their customers coming back and shopping also needs to be convenient, such as having car parking available, he said.

Spending in retail in Northland and Auckland over the first two weeks of December is very similar to the same time last year, according to statistics from Worldline NZ, which processes most in-store card transactions as well as some online sales.

Core retail merchants made $610 million of sales in Northland and Auckland, just 0.3% down on last year.

Whangārei store Gifts on Rathbone has experienced exactly this - sales just slightly down on normal, said floor manager Alice Malone.

Staff have noticed people are buying gifts for fewer people but still want good quality, New Zealand-made items, she said.

Gifts on Rathbone has found its niche by offering gift baskets to order and has found high demand for online orders, Malone said.

Unique items like collectable teddy bears are also selling well, while the most popular gift this year is a long-fin eel soft toy for children, she said.

Other Whangārei businesses are also finding trading is not as busy as last year but still steady, said NorthChamber chief executive Leah McKerrow.

Service businesses like hairdressers and nail salons seem to have good bookings, she said.

Retailers have noticed a lack of activity but McKerrow agreed this could be a reflection of changing shopping habits.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.