Uber Eats announces 12 new NZ locations

Uber Eats is growing. Photo / Alex Burton.

Kiwis who use the Uber Eats platform will be able to have food delivered to more locations across the North and South islands.

Uber Eats is set to expand to 12 more towns across Aotearoa in early November.

The new locations in the North Island are Taupō, Masterton, Levin, Whakatāne, Tokoroa, Te Awamutu, Hāwera, and Timaru, Blenheim, Ashburton, Ōamaru and Wānaka in the South Island.

The food delivery platform added that it is growing its availability in existing regions, adding Paraparaumu and Feilding to its coverage near Wellington and Palmerston North.

It currently operates in 17 locations in New Zealand. With the expansion of towns, this number will rise to 29.

“We’re incredibly proud of the positive impact Uber has had in Aotearoa over the last 10 years, and we’re excited to bring the convenience of Uber Eats to 12 new locations across New Zealand,” said Uber Eats Aotearoa general manager Andy Bowie.

“We know the hospitality industry is looking forward to a big summer, and this expansion means more Kiwis can experience the convenience of getting their favourite meals and grocery delivered straight to their doorstep, creating new opportunities for local businesses to grow and delivery people to earn.”

Uber Eats said the expansion will enable more merchants, eaters, and delivery people to use Uber’s technology to shop and earn.

While the company has risen in popularity, some small businesses have said that they are losing money.

In August, Fried Chicken Headquarters - a small eatery in Henderson, Auckland, - sent an urgent SOS to its customers to stop ordering takeaways through Uber Eats, saying it could potentially shut the business down.

Citing “hidden charges such as advertising costs”, the eatery said while Uber Eats allowed them to reach new audiences, it was hurting its profits.

A spokesman for Uber Eats said the experience of Fried Chicken Headquarters was not reflective of the thousands of other businesses who have signed up to its platform.

“These results are in no way reflective of the experience we see from thousands of merchants on our platform in Aotearoa,” the spokesman said.

“Restaurant partners always make their own commercial decisions on how they price their items for online food delivery, when they use our technology, and the level of support they chose to receive from Uber Eats.”

Uber Eats made its New Zealand debut in 2017 when it was launched in Auckland by United States transport company Uber, which has been operating in New Zealand since 2014.