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Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017

Other commercial matters - Carriage of goods - Interpretation

247: Meaning of unit of goods

You could also call this:

“What counts as one item when shipping goods”

In this part of the law, a ‘unit of goods’ or ‘unit’ means different things depending on how the goods are packed or transported:

For bulk cargo, it’s the usual way of measuring freight for that type of cargo. This could be by weight, volume, or another measurement.

If goods are in a container, the whole container is one unit. If you provided the container, it’s included as part of the unit.

For goods on a pallet, the entire pallet load is one unit. If you provided the pallet, it’s part of the unit too.

If goods are in a package that’s not inside anything else or on a pallet, that package is one unit.

For goods packaged in other ways not mentioned above, that package is one unit.

For loose items that aren’t packaged, each item is a unit.

For luggage, each piece of luggage is a unit.

Sometimes, if you’re paying for shipping based on a specific measurement (like weight or size), that measurement becomes the ‘unit’ for your goods.

There’s also a rule about how to count units when figuring out how much the carrier might owe you if something goes wrong. You can find more about this in section 259(4) of this law.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6844542.

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Part 5 Other commercial matters
Carriage of goods: Interpretation

247Meaning of unit of goods

  1. In this subpart, unless the context otherwise requires, unit of goods or unit,—

  2. in relation to bulk cargo, means the customary freight unit; that is, the unit of bulk, weight, or measurement on which the freight for that type of cargo is customarily computed or adjusted (subject to subsection (2)):
    1. in relation to goods contained in a container,—
      1. means the container load of goods; and
        1. includes the container if the container is provided by the contracting party:
        2. in relation to goods loaded on a pallet,—
          1. means the pallet load of goods; and
            1. includes the pallet if the pallet is provided by the contracting party:
            2. in relation to goods contained in a package that is not contained in a larger package or in a container, nor loaded on a pallet, means the package of goods:
              1. in relation to goods that are unitised for the purposes of carriage in any manner not referred to in any of paragraphs (a) to (d) or in subsection (2), means that unit of goods:
                1. in relation to goods (other than baggage) not referred to in any of paragraphs (a) to (e) or in subsection (2), means each item of the goods:
                  1. in relation to baggage, means each item of baggage.

                    1. For the purposes of subsection (1)(a), if the freight payable under a contract of carriage is computed or adjusted on a specified unit of bulk, weight, or measurement, references in this subpart to a unit of goods or unit must be treated, for the purposes of the carriage of goods under that contract, as references to that specified unit.

                    2. See also section 259(4) (which provides for which unit of goods must be counted for the purposes of determining the limit of a carrier’s liability).

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