NZ Post is expecting an increase in online shopping, putting a strain on delivery services, with the country south of Auckland moving to alert level three on Wednesday (September 1).

“NZ Post is gearing up to meet the increase in parcels and to reduce the impact of any delays,” NZ Post chief customer officer Bryan Dobson said.

“We’ve redesigned our network to ease potential areas of congestion, set up temporary processing sites, and we’re operating extended processing hours,” Bryan said.

NZ Post is asking people to be patient and understand that they are doing their best to deliver items as soon as possible during level three.

“We are asking for kindness, compassion and patience. Your item will get to you, it may just take a few more days than it would at normal times. 

“We will be updating our website regularly and encourage customers to check there for updates on delivery times.”

Bryan said NZ Post has brought on “as many additional people as we can”.

The best place to find out about delays is on the NZ Post website.

PHOTO: Supplied