Moving to New Zealand
If you're moving to New Zealand (NZ), you may be able to get help from us. It depends on your situation.
Payments from us
All our payments have different criteria you need to meet, including residence.
The residence criteria for most of our payments is that either:
- you're a New Zealand citizen
- you're a permanent resident, or
- you have a resident class visa under the Immigration Act 2009.
For some payments, you also need to have lived in NZ for 2 years. You don't need to have lived in NZ for 2 years if you're a refugee or migrant, and have permanent residence.
If you don't meet the residence criteria, you may still be able to get an Emergency Benefit. You need to call us so we can talk with you about your situation and how we can help.
You can use our 'Check What You Might Get' tool to find out what payments you may be able to get and how to apply for them.
Already getting a payment from us
If you're returning to New Zealand to live, please contact our International Services team as soon as possible.
They'll be able to talk to you about your situation and advise how your payments may change.
Help to return to New Zealand
We cannot provide financial help for New Zealanders who are overseas to return to New Zealand.
Using other countries to meet residence criteria
For some of our payments, you need to meet the residence criteria that states you must have lived in New Zealand for a certain amount of time. The amount of time depends on the payment, but usually you need to have lived in NZ for at least 2 years.
You may be able to use other countries to meet this residence criteria if:
- they are a country that has a Social Security Agreement (SSA) with NZ, or
- they are a pacific country that has a special arrangement with NZ.
There are only certain payments you can do this for. It depends on the agreement or arrangement NZ has with that country. For example, if you're using a pacific country that NZ has an arrangement with, you can only do this for:
- NZ Superannuation payment and
- Veteran's Pension payment.
Settling in New Zealand
You may be able to get a Re-establishment grant to help settle you into a New Zealand community.
You may be able to get this if you are either:
- a refugee who can't get other forms of government assistance for refugees
- an Afghan interpreter, or
- an Afghan evacuee who holds or has applied for permanent residency.
You need to apply for this within the first year of your arrival in New Zealand. If you're applying for help with English language classes, you can apply within the first 2 years of your arrival in NZ.
Getting an overseas benefit or pension
You may be able to get a payment from an overseas country you have lived in. You'll need to talk to the agency of the country you lived in. They'll decide who can get one and how much you can get.
If you do get an overseas payment, it may affect how much you can get for a New Zealand payment.
Find work
We have job search tools and information to help if you're looking for work.
Talk to us in your language
You can speak with us in another language. You can also read, listen to, or watch in NZ Sign Language about how we can help you.
International custody or access dispute
If you're involved in an international custody or access dispute and are struggling financially, we may also be able to help.