Change to residence criteria for NZ Super and Veteran's Pension

New residence criteria

To get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension you must have lived in NZ for a certain amount of time. This is gradually increasing from 10 years to 20 years.

The number of years you must have lived in NZ since you turned 20 is based on your date of birth. You still need to have lived in NZ for at least 5 years since you turned 50.

These years (including the 5 years from age 50) do not need to be consecutive.

Use the table below to work this out:

If you haven't lived in NZ the whole time, you may be able to use another country to meet the residency criteria if:

• it is a country that has a Social Security Agreement (SSA) with NZ, or
• it is a NZ Realm country (the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau).

If you're recognised as a refugee or protected person, the number of years you need is worked out differently. 

Other criteria you need to meet

As well as meeting the residence criteria, you also need to:

• be 65 or older
• either:
  • be a New Zealand (NZ) citizen
  • be a permanent resident, or
  • hold a residence class visa, and
• be ordinarily resident in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau when you apply.