Thread: Sending meat to friends/family through the mail, recommendations?

I am thinking about sending some of the meat I am getting to family in the north island, which I imagine has to be time and temperature sensitive. Maybe a little Styrofoam box with 4kg of frozen vac-packed meat sent up to mum. NZ post rates for the box size I want to send is at 32 dollars overnight according to their website. Is this about the best price I am going to get for sending frozen foods between islands? Anyone have experience with this sort of thing?

you COULD ask if someone on forum who lives close to your Mum...has relatives down here...kids at uni etc.....and do swapsies...you give to uni student they drop off to Mum.
its a win win situation and dont run risk of it getting lost in post etc...or stuck in courier van in hot sun and arriving spoiled.
chilly bin as add on luggage when flying gets done a lot....
good on you for thinking of your Mum.
contact local company who sends foodstuffs around country (here in Timaru denheath custard squares comes to mind) they will have network and packaging sorted already and couriers wont muck around with big client.

Yep, check out some of the companies who run chilled goods. There are a couple over your way who distribute around the country. Rates aren't usually too bad and its a lot safer than entrusting NZPost with your hard earned venison.

Those styrofoam boxes work well. Fill a plastic bag with ice so if it melts the box doesn't leak.

As MD said, good on you for wanting to share some with your family.

years ago i sent a rabbit in the post to a friend as a joke, it came back marked not at this address return to sender. Wrapped in a big plastic bag. It sloshed in side it as it was held up over xmas.

You might want to consider packing with dry ice to extend shipping time. I've traveled three days by car and my venison was still frozen in an insulated cardboard carton with dry ice.

Inter island can be a little more tricky but i send stuff thru out the North island via CourierPost, the key is to have it sent to a business address the recipient can collect it from, CourierPost do nationwide next business day delivery to business addresses
Vac pack and sealed icebags
Always worked for me
Inter Island should work but distance and that gap of water can throw curveballs

If you know a science teacher you could probably get it liquid nitrogen frozen

Originally Posted by Grasshoppa

Inter island can be a little more tricky but i send stuff thru out the North island via CourierPost, the key is to have it sent to a business address the recipient can collect it from, CourierPost do nationwide next business day delivery to business addresses
Vac pack and sealed icebags
Always worked for me
Inter Island should work but distance and that gap of water can throw curveballs

Agree with all you have written and would like to add that I would pack the meat in the Polybox inside your freezer. I would keep the packed box in the freezer, lid off for a couple of days prior to shipping. A lot of freezers can have the temp set down to - 24 instead of the normal -18 to -20. wrap the outside of the box with reflectorised bubble wrap before shipping and it will likely be good for three days. Perhaps have a practice at home with some meat you intend to eat and a bottle of frozen water in a wrapped poly box and a lab probe type thermometer poked through the side. See how long it takes to get to -2

Originally Posted by JessicaChen

I am thinking about sending some of the meat I am getting to family in the north island, which I imagine has to be time and temperature sensitive. Maybe a little Styrofoam box with 4kg of frozen vac-packed meat sent up to mum. NZ post rates for the box size I want to send is at 32 dollars overnight according to their website. Is this about the best price I am going to get for sending frozen foods between islands? Anyone have experience with this sort of thing?

If you PM me and let me know were in the NI your family is I might be able to get venison to them, and you will get to keep yours for yourself.

My modus operandum in shipping meat, where the best way is to have the goods fresh and vacuum packed, is too use a New World or Countdown chilly bag, those ones you buy when you want your peas or ice cream still frozen when you get home from shopping. Keep the weight under 10 Kgs or the $32 will double to $64 if over 10Kgs. Pack your meat in the chilly bag, most times I put some frozen sausages or meat wrapped in news paper to keep the fresh stuff cool, and tell the recipients to eat that first Then I put the chilly bag into a 12 bottle wine case, seal it up with tape, put the address on and take it to the post shop just before 2pm. At 3 pm the package is on the way. Best days to undertake this operation is Mon to Wednesday. Thursdays if there is a stuff up and it doesn't get delivered on the friday morning can sometimes lead to the package sitting in transit somewhere over the weekend. That is the main reason I like to use fresh meat, I have shipped frozen in the past, by wrapping each in newspaper and using some ice bricks to keep cool, but any stuff up in transporting, ends up in frozens thawed out. My method has worked successfully shipping to places from Kaitaia to Invercargill. Good luck with your shipping.

So I have done this a bit.
Fastways despite pointidly being asked if they could do overnight (yes) took 3-4 days.
I now know this is normal for fastways......despite this the paua and venison heart I sent was still cool tho defrosted.
My freezers are set well below -20 at the bottom, paua and heart were very frozen then wrapped in lots of news paper then into a largeish cardboard box stacked around with crumbled newspaper to insulate then dug a hole in the deep freeze right to the bottom and put it there for a few days untill ready to send.

NZ couriers generally do overnight even interisland especially to business adresses.....even allowing for cockups 2 days and arriving frozen should be no problem IF the meat is well frozen....eg more than minus 18c and it is well insulated.

I would still freeze whole packed container with lid off at the lowest point in freezer before sending tho if possible.

A few actually many years ago one of my workmates did a job up north and another mate of his up there gave him a decent sized chunk of hapuka to take home with him on air nz. Anyway long story short he forgot he left it in the luggage rack above his seat. He got a nasty letter from air nz a few weeks later. I think thats why they now always check all the lockers after each flight

We have twice taken a frozen 10kg package of venny, trout and hare to Germany and it has arrived frozen using the method described by both VC and myself above

Thanks for suggestions and experience reports everyone. @Tahr Im not sure how to adequately express my gratitude for that offer, thank you. I wont take is as of now, but maybe when the nuclear apocalypse comes and everyone is starving I will send you a PM regarding that. However if you really do have to get rid of some venison, I will pay for the meat and your time.
I think I may just take meat up in my luggage when I go visit later in the year, done that before with goat meat and it worked out well. But If I don't end up visiting anytime soon I will take into account all of the recommendations here.

Originally Posted by JessicaChen

Thanks for suggestions and experience reports everyone. @Tahr Im not sure how to adequately express my gratitude for that offer, thank you. I wont take is as of now, but maybe when the nuclear apocalypse comes and everyone is starving I will send you a PM regarding that. However if you really do have to get rid of some venison, I will pay for the meat and your time.
I think I may just take meat up in my luggage when I go visit later in the year, done that before with goat meat and it worked out well. But If I don't end up visiting anytime soon I will take into account all of the recommendations here.

Nice. My reward would be the pleasure. Message me your families' address.